Coffee Sidefics
by Rasengan22
Summary: Extra scenes for the It Started Over Coffee universe.
1. Meeting Ino

**a/n:** Explicit chapters are posted on Y-gallery. **Don't leave comments in this story asking about y-gallery. They will be ignored. If you don't know how to use a search engine, you're not old enough to be reading explicit content.**

The order of the sidefics I've written:

Meeting Ino, Sasuke's Past and Path, Kinky Couch Sex (not posting it here), Those Three Words, Phone Sex (not posting it here), Lazy Sunday, Sasuke's Migraine (Sasuke's POV), Jockstrap I, Jockstrap II (not posting it here), Bad Dream, Fear

* * *

Naruto was lying in his bed at his Dad's house, on the phone with a somewhat agitated Sasuke, who was disgruntled about a new hire.

"Not only am I bogged down with my own work, but I have to take time out to train this person who graduated about eight months ago."

"Well, they have to learn somehow, Sasuke, and you're a pro, right? Just help the poor girl out before you scare her away. Surely you didn't know everything there was to know when _you _started."

"Hm. I should've known you'd take her side."

Naruto grinned. "I'm just sayin' that if you're nice to her and help her out, you will be rewarded."

"Is that so?"

Naruto switched the phone to his other ear. "Sure, why not. I'll give you a blowjob or something."

"You do that already," Sasuke reminded him.

"Okay, well if you're gonna be a jerk to her, then I'll stop? And as much as I'd love to listen to you complain about work, I have a question I want to ask."

"...What question is that?"

Naruto sighed first and raised his arm in the air, waving his hand back and forth. "Ino wants to go out to dinner tonight. Just the three of us."

"Kiba isn't invited?"

"I guess not? I think she wants to, um, get to know you and stuff, and yeah."

"...I see. Do _you _want to go out to dinner with her tonight? I can't tell."

"No, no." He dropped his arm. "I don't mind, but if _you _don't want to, we can do it some other time."

"Well, I'm about 10 minutes from town. I can meet the two of you somewhere?"

"Mah," Naruto whined. "I can come and get you. If you want to shower and change?"

"Hmm." Sasuke sounded pleased. "You miss me."

"Shut up. That's not what I said. I just said I'd come and pick you up."

"Or you could do that in reverse order."

Naruto gave a deep chuckle. "You're right. I could pick you up and then come."

"That sounds good to me. Just let me know the deal when you get here. Are you leaving your Dad's right away?"

"Yep, gettin' my shoes on now." Naruto sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on his sneaker. "See you in a few."

"Okay. Bye, Naruto."

Naruto let the phone fall onto the bed and finished tying his shoes. He went into the bathroom to check his hair, gargle, and spray a bit of cologne on. He gave Ino a call, but it took them about 10 minutes to decide on a place to eat since Ino kept going on and on about how excited she was that it'd just be the three of them.

"Are you sure you don't wanna invite Kiba?" Naruto asked as he went down the stairs. "Hey, Ino, wait a sec, I gotta tell my Dad somethin'." He put his hand over the receiver. "Dad, Ino, me, and Sasuke are goin' out to dinner."

"Just the three of you? That's unusual, isn't it? What's Kiba up to?"

"That's what I was askin'. Ino wants to bond with Sasuke, I guess."

"Ah, I see," said Minato. He was sitting on one of the reclining chairs, flipping through a landscape architecture magazine that had a large gazebo on the front. "Have fun. Tell Sasuke I said hello." When he set his magazine down briefly it was to give Naruto a smirk and a knowing, fatherly look.

Naruto glared and felt his face going red. "Shut up, Dad. I'll see you later."

Since he was headed to his truck, he told Ino he'd meet her at this one place downtown in about an hour.

"Are you sure this is okay with Sasuke?" Ino asked, but somehow even if Naruto said 'no', he doubted that it would sway Ino any less.

"He's fine with it. Just don't ask him about work."

"Why's that?"

"He had a bad day today, I guess."

"Ah, okay. I'll try to remember that. See you sooon. Kisses." She hung up on him.

Naruto smiled as he opened the door to the truck and got in. No matter how unpredictable Kiba could be, at least Naruto had an idea of the kind of stuff that came out of his mouth, embarrassing or not, but with Ino, it was a whole other story. He had no idea what to expect, but he wasn't all that worried. If anything, he was curious about how Sasuke and Ino would get along.

* * *

When Naruto knocked on the door, Sasuke had already showered and was dressed in nice jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. His hair was still a little wet. He greeted Naruto with a genuine smile and a kiss before tugging him into the apartment. He playfully threw Naruto onto the couch, where he ended up on his back. Sasuke lay on top of him, kissing at his neck.

"Maybe you're the one who missed me," said Naruto as he combed his fingers through dark, damp hair, trying to free his other arm so he could give Ollie's head a pat, too, since he'd come running up to them, meowing excitedly.

"I always miss you," Sasuke said dryly against his neck and gave him a sniff. "You smell good." After he planted another kiss to Naruto's mouth, he rolled to the side, his arm across Naruto's waist. "So what are the plans?"

"We're goin' to Russell's, that place downtown with the patio, where they have live music sometimes."

"Sounds good."

Naruto shifted onto his side so that they faced one another. He put a hand on Sasuke's hip, slowly moving it to his waist - above the belt he wore - and snuck his fingers under his shirt.

"Better mood now?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded and placed his hand on Naruto's chest. "Are you buttering me up?"

Naruto smirked. "I can think of better ways to do that."

"I bet you can, but do we have time for it?"

"If it's you, Uchiha, then yeah. We're gonna have to work on your stamina. Just how long does it take you, hm?" He stroked his fingers across Sasuke's stomach and then lightly dragged them over his ribs. "It's like that old game show _Name that Tune_... except it'd be more like 'I can get Sasuke off in... four minutes, no, three minutes...' "

"Are you questioning my sexual prowess?"

"Not at all. I'm just sayin' once my mouth gets on your dick, you come really fast."

Sasuke laughed and grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him close enough to kiss. "It's not my fault I have a hot, sexy boyfriend who gives a blowjob like a porn star."

"Wait," said Naruto, grinning, "I thought _I_ was your boyfriend? Who's this other guy you speak of? Are you cheating on me _already_?"

Sasuke brushed Naruto's hair to the side and affectionately traced the curve of his right cheek. "Never. Absolutely never."

Naruto had to bite his lip so he would stop smiling so much. "We should probably get goin."

"We should." Sasuke leaned in and kissed him. Naruto parted his lips, letting Sasuke's tongue enter his mouth. Sasuke started to slide on top of him, settling between Naruto's legs as they made out for a while until Naruto's phone vibrated in his pocket.

"That's probably Ino," said Naruto between kisses.

"Tell her you're busy," replied Sasuke as he moved to nibble at Naruto's ear.

"I won't because then she'll know exactly what we're doin'... ah, that feels good."

"Does it?" Sasuke asked silkily and tilted Naruto's head, sucking at the sensitive skin behind his ear. Naruto's arms went around Sasuke as he let out short, low moan. "Mm. I love when you make that noise. So vocal, Naruto."

"Can't help it... really, _unf_, we should get goin'..."

"I guess we can always come back here tonight," mused Sasuke as he got off of Naruto and stood, readjusting his clothes. Naruto watched him for a moment until their eyes met again. "What?"

Naruto reached out his hand. "I like you."

Sasuke took his hand and pulled him up. "You like me, do you? And shall I try to be on my best behavior tonight?"

"I'm not worried about you. I'm more worried about Ino. I can already imagine the sort of stuff she's gonna ask us about."

"Like what? Our sex lives?"

"Pretty much."

"It's not as if I mind," said Sasuke, putting his hands on either side of Naruto's waist, slipping a thumb into one of the loops. "I'm more than happy to talk about sex... and you... and having sex with you..."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "That's private stuff. I don't even talk to Kiba about it much."

"But you used to talk to Kiba about sex when you were dating women, I'm sure?"

"But that's _different_- ", Naruto started to stay and stopped when Sasuke's eyebrow went up. "Or, not like that. It's just, you mean more to me than other women I've dated or slept with, Sasuke."

Sasuke ruffled his hair. "I'm not offended. Women tend to be more comfortable hearing those sorts of details about two men anyway, so I'm sure Ino's just curious. I'm not ashamed, so if she wants to ask questions, then I'm fine with it." He gave a shrug.

"I'm not _ashamed_. It's just..."

"Private," said Sasuke.

"Er, yeah. Let's just get goin'."

"Let me grab a sweatshirt."

"Ah, can I borrow one, too?" Naruto sat on the arm of the couch as Sasuke headed toward the bedroom. He came back out with a gray hoodie for himself and a blue one, which he threw to Naruto.

"You're givin' me your favorite hoodie?" asked Naruto as he stood up and stretched.

"I'm letting you _borrow_ it yes, even though any time I let you _borrow _something, I never see it again."

"Pssht. Come over to the house and I'll give you whatever stuff it is I've stolen."

"Sounds good to me. I think I've yet to stay at your house, and we've been dating how long?"

They walked to the door, each putting on their shoes. Naruto leaned against the wall to get his on without falling over. "Almost two weeks?"

"Feels like longer," Sasuke said with a smirk as he opened the door and waited for Naruto to be done. He held his hand out. "Ladies first."

Naruto rolled his eyes and gave him a smack on the back of the head. "Bastard. I'll drive since you just spent an hour in the car."

"So considerate," Sasuke said and grabbed for his hand as they went down the corridor that led to the stairs. Naruto gave the hand in his a squeeze.

"I have my moments," he said to his boyfriend.

"You do," replied Sasuke, letting go of his hand and moving it to Naruto's lower back. "You certainly do."

* * *

Of course, he and Sasuke arrived first, and since it was relatively decent out, they decided to get a table on the patio. There were a few people already out there, just an easygoing crowd, which is why he liked Russell's so much. The patio wasn't huge, but there were about eight circular tables, with four chairs to each. The back of the patio butted up against the sidewalk, but there was a fence to block anyone from just coming in from off the street. You had to come in through the entrance, which made sense since it was as much a bar as it was a restaurant. According to the sign he'd seen when they walked in, there'd be a band playing in two hours if they ended up staying that long. He and Sasuke ordered a couple of beers while they waited for Ino.

"This is nice," said Sasuke.

Naruto smiled. "It is, isn't it? It reminds me of when we went to the beer garden at Navy Pier except more chill."

"That was a good night." Sasuke smirked as he took a sip of his beer. "I think I preferred what happened after?"

"I'm assuming you don't mean when we went to get the wine."

"Mm. No. Not quite. I was thinking more about what happened in the dressing room."

Naruto's cheeks might've colored a bit. "That's definitely my favorite scarf now."

"I'm so glad you like it," said Sasuke, still looking a little too smug.

"It does feel like a date, though, doesn't it? I keep forgetting we're waitin' for Ino. So try not to make out with me as much as I'm sure you're dyin' to."

"Please," said Sasuke with a hint of playfulness, "I do have _some _restraint when I'm around you."

"I mean, I know I'm pretty irresistible. If I were you, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off me either."

"Okay, we're going to have to do something about your cocky attitude. Before you say anything, yes I said _cocky_, get over it."

"Pssht. You're no fun, besides I'm over the dick joke phase."

"Until you get around Kiba again," Sasuke pointed out, "Speaking of, did you talk to him before you came to get me?"

"Mm. No, but he's a big boy. I'm sure Ino talked to him. It's not as if we haven't spent time with Kiba alone. Besides, in college I used to hang out with Ino alone all the time. She was a lot of fun."

"But you two never - "

Naruto waved a hand and pulled a face. "No way. We were just friends. She was, I thought, slightly out of my league anyway. Very pretty, very popular. She was a cheerleader for the football team, y'know, and when we'd go out together, she'd always get hit on."

"So how did she end up with Kiba then?" asked Sasuke.

"Ha. That's a good question. There's a story behind it, but it basically comes down to, they're both good people, and we became like the Three Musketeers, y'know? And while I was dating _she who must not be named_, those two started to slowly hook up, and now they've been together for a while."

"I see."

"Speak of the devil, here she comes," said Naruto, standing up as he saw Ino appear in the doorway to the patio.

"Oh my God," she said and came running toward him, hugging him enthusiastically. She looked really pretty, wearing a ruffley aqua shirt that hung off her shoulder and a pair of skinny jeans with strappy sandals. The ends of her long, blond hair had been curled in loose ringlets that fell over her shoulder. Ino's whole body was so warm and... well, _curvy_against his. He was so used to having a hard body pressed to him that he'd almost forgotten how nice this could be, too. "Naruto, I feel like it's been forever since just the two of us got together."

She pushed him away and immediately set her eyes on Sasuke. Ino's smile was huge. "Wow, shit. You must be Sasuke. Holy hell, Naruto, you have good taste. So handsome!"

Sasuke got up to greet her, taking her hand. "Ino, nice to meet you. Naruto's told me so much about you."

"Oh," she still held onto his hand but looked at Naruto as he went around and pulled her seat out for her. "And he has good manners. Tell me, Sasuke, how does someone like yourself possibly have the patience for our Naruto? Isn't he a handful?"

"He is," said Sasuke, waiting until Ino had seated herself before he sat, as well. "But that's what I like about him."

"We were just talkin' about how you and Kiba had an eye for each other in college," said Naruto. He drew his chair a little closer to hers.

"Oh, please," said Ino. "I had an eye for _you_when we first met, but you were always so obsessed with - "

Naruto looked affronted. "I was not _obsessed_."

"Whatever," she said, picking up the drink list and perusing it. She put a finger to her lip, tapping it. Her nails were painted a pale pink, and she must've been hitting the tanning salon, too, because she was pretty dark for this time of year. "You were all gaga for her because she was an older woman. I never liked her, you know."

"Let's back track a second though, what do you mean you had eyes for _me_?" Naruto spared a look at Sasuke, who calmly watched them, somewhat amused apparently.

"Duh. Most of the girls I knew had a thing for you, didn't you ever see the group that gathered on the quad when you and your friends would take off your shirts and throw a Frisbee around or that stupid little sack thing you kick around with your feet..."

"A hacky sack?" Naruto grabbed for his beer, shaking his head. "I, no, I... hm. What the hell? Why didn't you tell me this stuff?"

"What does it matter anyway, apparently women aren't your thing anymore, right? And not that I can blame you," she put her hand on Sasuke's arm and leaned over, madly grinning, "You in no way compare to anyone I've seen this guy with." She turned to Naruto. "You realize he is absolutely gorgeous, right?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke. "I realize I'm lucky, yeah," he said.

Sasuke shared his glance for a while, returning his smile, until Ino let out a noticeable squeal and shifted around in her chair.

"Ugh, you two are too cute together. Naruto, I'm so happy for you, I haven't seen you like this in ages."

Naruto thanked her, and the waitress who'd taken their drink orders earlier came round to get Ino's. She ordered a mojito, and they fell into a casual conversation for a while, where Sasuke filled Ino in on his background after she rushed into her interrogation. Naruto let them have their moment of getting to know one another, only interjecting to crack a joke or answer any questions Ino had. So far she'd been good about not asking anything too private, but, they hadn't even ordered food yet.

Sasuke, in turn, because even though he _could _be short with strangers, was being incredibly generous and friendly with Ino. She, Naruto thought, was very difficult to dislike anyway and was as chatty as he could be at times. There was never a lull in conversation with her around, that's for sure. She was already radiating enthusiasm and excitement and her, just being pretty and feminine and outgoing, seemed to complete their little triangle.

"So you have one brother then?" Ino asked, sipping at her mojito that had been set down in front of her. They decided to wait a while on food.

"I do," replied Sasuke. "He lives in Seattle."

"And what does he do?" She pushed her hair over her shoulder, leaned back in the chair, and held it in a ponytail before dropping it again and resting her arms on the chair again.

"Well, he works for a brokerage there."

"Ah, exciting stuff."

"Indeed. You have no idea."

"Naruto said I shouldn't ask you about work, but I'm going to anyway."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I didn't think I could stop you."

"I don't mind," answered Sasuke.

"No, I just think it's cool. You scout music talent and that sort of stuff? I think that would be so much fun. Naruto says you have to travel some for it though, right? That you just moved from London not that long ago."

"I do have to travel sometimes, but I'm hoping to stick to one place for a while and travel only occasionally."

"I see," said Ino. "I'm sure when you're dating someone like Naruto, who needs constant attention, you have to stick around."

Naruto nearly choked on his beer. "Ino!"

Sasuke chuckled. "That's true, but...I don't mind. I'd like to settle down for a while. If something should come up in future, we can always talk about it then." He gave Naruto a look.

"What? Naruto is such a homebody! I can't see him living anywhere but here! But if you can get him out of this hole, all the better! I only wish someone would come and whisk me away to somewhere _warmer_."

"No one's whisking me anywhere," said Naruto.

"I can whisk you," said Sasuke, smirking.

Ino laughed. "Dirty boy! I love it! So, speaking of..."

"Oh no, here it comes. I'm gonna need another drink, be right back!" Naruto got up and as he passed by Sasuke, put a hand on his shoulder. "Want anything?"

"Another one of these is fine," he said, picking up the glass and setting it back down.

Naruto left just in time, as Ino leaned in close to Sasuke, whispering low enough that he, thankfully, could not hear what she was asking. He went inside, to the bar, and asked for a couple more beers, his fingers tapping along on the wood to an old Johnny Cash song playing from the speakers. When he went back out onto the patio, Sasuke and Ino were talking in low voices, Ino gesturing and speaking excitedly, and Sasuke giving short responses. He looked at ease, though, so Ino probably hadn't gone too far. There was a point where, if Sasuke felt uncomfortable, he'd be straightforward about it. He set Sasuke's glass down in front of him and received a quick thanks before sitting again, and when he did, Ino turned to him with the biggest grin.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said sweetly.

"Right. Like I believe that. I'm guessin' you asked for the run down on our sex lives or whatever?"

"Not in _detail_," she answered, "but I was just curious, because Kiba says you don't bring it up, and I can't honestly imagine you with a guy, Naruto, even one as good looking as Sasuke. Like, how did you figure out who would do what and what did you," she made a vague gesture with her hand, "have to do to... be okay with it? Sasuke says you don't think you're bisexual, but, um..."

Naruto sighed. "Hm. I'm still figuring some things out, but," he cleared his throat and was near whispering, "I'm not interested in any guys except Sasuke. I don't even look at guys and size them up, like how would they be in bed - "

"I certainly hope not," said Sasuke, apparently hearing him.

"You know what I mean," he told his boyfriend.

"Fine, so, but you two have," she raised her eyebrow, "You've done it, right? I mean, Kiba has hinted at it. And if I'm being too personal, I apologize, but this is so new to me."

Naruto looked at Sasuke first, wondering if he was okay with him discussing this. Sasuke was no prude though, which is something Naruto had come to learn quite quickly.

He scooted even nearer to Ino's chair. "We've had sex, yes."

"Mm. I don't know why that is so hot to me. I've never even thought about two guys together as being hot, but... yeah," she fanned herself. "That's hot."

"Well, that's because you're a pervert," Naruto said good-naturedly. "It's... I don't know how much detail you want - "

"Full detail," she said, "Full detail, _please_."

"Yes, give her full details, Naruto," Sasuke said, teasing him, and Naruto answered with a glare.

"Fine." He sat back in the chair. "Lay it on me. What do you want to know?"

"Okay, who did who first?" She asked, looking between them both, perhaps expecting to be able to read it on their faces.

"Depends on what you mean," said Naruto, and he pointed at Sasuke. "He sucked me off first, but if you're talkin' about somethin' else, then that would be me."

"I need a moment," she said, holding up her hand, her cheeks turning bright red. She picked up her mojito and held the glass to the side of her face. "That is so sexy, I don't even know what to say. I mean, you're both so... attractive, and fit, and... sexy. I think I understand why some men are so into lesbians."

"Wonderful," said Naruto. "So now you're comparing me to a lesbian?"

Sasuke laughed. "Ino, he is nothing like any lesbian I know of."

"Oh?" She turned her sights on Sasuke. "Is he... good? I've always been curious about how good Naruto is in bed."

At that, Naruto had to turn his head as he spit out his beer across the back of the patio. "Holy shit, Ino. C'mon."

"What? I'm not saying I'd sleep with you _now_," she said.

"God, I hope not," said Naruto. "Kiba's gonna kill me just for having this sort of conversation with you."

"Well, we're all just being honest," Ino argued. "So, Sasuke, what is he really good at?"

Sasuke gave Naruto a look, silently asking for permission before he answered. Naruto nodded his head.

"Blowjobs," said Sasuke, still looking at Naruto.

"Really," Ino gushed.

"Don't get me wrong, Naruto is... very good at..."

"Fucking?" Ino asked and giggled.

"Yes," said Sasuke evenly, and Naruto felt his body heat up just from the tone of his boyfriend's voice, the way Sasuke kept staring at him.

"Hmm." Ino glanced between them. "Don't mind me. If you need to take a quick trip to the bathroom to, uh, you know, then I can sit here on my own..."

For a few seconds, Naruto considered it. He'd yet to figure out why _giving_ Sasuke a blowjob was just as exciting as getting one from him. He'd always been the type to enjoy pleasuring a partner, so, of course, it went the same way even if he was now with a man. The sounds Sasuke made, the look on his face... there was such a big rush in getting him off that it made his own toes curl just thinking about it. Pushing Sasuke up against the stall door, getting on his knees, yanking Sasuke's pants down and grabbing hold of his thighs as Sasuke's fingers started winding through his hair. He licked his lips and knew his eyes had glazed over. Sasuke might've been thinking near similar thoughts - but _no_! They weren't animals, dammit! He could resist long enough to have drinks and dinner. Probably.

"Right then, should we order some food?" Naruto suggested, his voice significantly raspier than earlier, and God help him, but Sasuke seemed to notice and laughed at him. "Shut up, you," he said and Sasuke put his hands up in a show of his innocence.

"C'mon, don't be _embarrassed_," Ino told him, placing her hand over his, "You used to talk all about this girl or that to Kiba when all three of us went out. I know you're not shy about sharing."

"It's different with Sasuke," he said.

"Naruto likes to keep it private," Sasuke explained.

"Why?" Ino asked bluntly. "I'm not weirded out that you're with a guy."

"It's not that," said Naruto, scratching the back of his head. "I lo-,er," he stopped when he realized what he had been about to say, "I _like_Sasuke, and I just, don't want our sex life to be trivial or a novelty, y'know?"

Ino made an interesting sound between a squeal and a giggle.

_Squiggle_Naruto's brain supplied and then he shook his head.

"I understand," said Ino. "You're serious about Sasuke, right? And it's new. You two haven't been dating very long, and you want it to be special still. I think it's romantic. Don't you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned to her. "Very."

Naruto half-glared at him, frustrated because he couldn't figure out if he wanted to be mad at him or get him in the back seat of the car and screw him senseless.

"Don't glare at your boyfriend," Ino whispered near his ear. "Besides, I love the way he keeps looking at you."

Their voices were low enough that Sasuke probably couldn't hear them.

"How does he keep looking at me?" he asked her.

"He's _so_in love with you, it's ridiculous."

Naruto's eyes were wide as he shifted toward her more.

"What?" she asked. "You are, too, aren't you? You practically just admitted it."

"It's too soon to say the L-word. It's only been a couple of weeks."

"Maybe so," she said, touching her lips again with her forefinger. "But I've _really_never seen you look like this around anyone else you've been interested in before, Naruto. Do you think he's the one?"

"What, like the chosen one?" He joked.

Ino made a displeased sound in her throat. "I only want you to be happy. If he makes you happy, do what you have to in order to keep him around. I'm sort of jealous, really."

"About what?" He was looking at Sasuke again, who was watching the both of them patiently.

"I dunno. That he likes you so much. That you like him so much. You're both sort of perfect for each other."

"You and Kiba are good together, too," said Naruto, his tone soft and warm.

"I know," she agreed, smiling at him fondly, "I certainly think so. So, shall we order then? I think Sasuke's starting to feel left out. Why don't you slide over to him while I make a trip to the ladies' room."

"Sure," he said and watched her go. He moved his chair over by Sasuke's, squeezing the man's thigh, right above his knee.

"I want to kiss you right now," Sasuke said, his voice low and husky.

"Yeah?" Naruto leaned in. "I was kind of thinking I wanted to do more than kiss you."

"How much more?" Sasuke turned his head, brushing his lips briefly across Naruto's cheek. They were at one of the back tables, so it was unlikely anyone was even looking their way. He gave Naruto a nudge. "Hm?"

"Like I had flashbacks to when we were in the bar with Suigetsu."

"The stall?" Sasuke asked. "I was thinking of that, too. It'd be pretty easy."

"It would."

"And what would we do once we were in there?"

Naruto turned enough that he was speaking into Sasuke's ear. "I'd blow you."

Sasuke's lips parted, and he dabbed his tongue across them. "Tease."

"I'm not teasing," he said, his eyelids drooping a little, "If we went back there, I'd get on my knees and suck you off."

"I like you on your knees..." Sasuke's hand moved up on Naruto's thigh, fingers just barely reaching out to brush his crotch. "Later is fine. When we go home."

"Works for me," he said, which was when Ino came back out, took a moment to ogle them so close together and sat back down with her biggest smile yet.

"Don't stop on my account," she said.

Before he moved his seat further away, Naruto did place a quick kiss to Sasuke's mouth, and as they parted, both smiled at the other, making Naruto want to do it again, but, yeah. PDA wasn't really his thing, so he could be good.

They ordered and when the food arrived and they started eating, they fell into an easy conversation. When the band came out an hour or so later, the three of them stayed to listen. Naruto and Sasuke drew their chairs close together and, under the table, held hands. Ino was on Naruto's other side, leaning against him and sometimes using his shoulder as a pillow. It felt like family to him. The sister he'd never had and the man he considered his equal and best friend. With just the simple act of having their hands joined together, he had yet to stop feeling that crazy fluttering feeling in his chest, and understood completely that what made him happiest was having Sasuke at his side.


	2. Sasuke's past and path

They were at Naruto's apartment for once. It was a Friday night, but they were both a little tired after having worked all day. The room still smelled of the Chinese takeout they'd eaten a couple of hours ago. Naruto was lying on the floor, resting his eyes. Sasuke was on the couch, flipping through a copy of _Rolling Stone_.

"I feel old, Sasuke," Naruto mumbled. "We're young. Shouldn't we be out doin' stuff?"

"Like what?" asked Sasuke, flipping through several pages at once.

"I dunno. I know there's not much to do around here, but it'd be good to go out."

"I take it you don't just mean to grab a few drinks at the bar," said Sasuke, closing the magazine and neatly aligning it with the corner of the coffee table. "We could go to a club tomorrow if you want."

"What sort of club?" He rolled to his side, propping his head up with an elbow. "Like a dance club?"

"I didn't realize I had to specify." Sasuke grinned and leaned back against the sofa. He looked good that way, making himself comfortable in the only place Naruto had that he could call his own. It was nowhere near as nice as Sasuke's apartment, but it was cozy, and he liked when Sasuke slept over here, because then the pillows and sheets and _everywhere _smelled like him.

"You could've meant strip club," Naruto suggested with a smirk. "But maybe we'd have different ideas of which one to go to?"

"Maybe I meant book club." Sasuke's tone was light, playful, but he did sound tired. "I hear they're having a read along for _Twilight_."

"God, Sasuke. Why didn't you tell me earlier? You just _know _how I love that one guy... with the... teeth... and the... hair."

"Ah, yes. I also love guys with teeth and hair," Sasuke said dryly.

Naruto dragged himself to his feet and walked over to Sasuke, standing between his legs. Sasuke leaned forward and rested his head against Naruto's stomach, letting out a yawn. Naruto rubbed his head for him.

"Tired?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, hands winding around behind Naruto's legs, tugging at his pajama pants.

Naruto continued to comb his fingers through his boyfriend's hair and gently swept them across the nape of his neck. "Wanna go to bed?"

Sasuke looked up at him, almost apologetic. "Yeah. I'm pretty beat."

"Okay," Naruto said with a smile in case Sasuke was worried he'd be disappointed they weren't doing much of anything tonight.

Naruto helped him to his feet and, grabbing Sasuke's hand, led him to the bedroom after flipping off all of the lights. There was nothing particularly special about his room. The walls were a very pale blue. The bed - smaller than Sasuke's - was shoved into a corner, and he usually took the side nearest the wall. There was a dresser on the opposite wall, where he'd set his 18" flatscreen, which he usually put on before bed. Naruto picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, able to see Sasuke out of the corner of his eye as he pulled off his shirt and removed his watch. One of the drawers had a few of Sasuke's clothes for when he stayed over, so he got out a pair of lounge pants. Naruto flipped through the channels, humming a song as he ended up settling on _Late Night with Jimmy Fallon_.

By the time he turned around, Sasuke was already getting under the covers. Naruto switched off the bedroom light first before removing his own shirt, casually tossing it across the room, where it hit against the side of the hamper. He crawled over Sasuke onto his side of the bed, with Sasuke giving his ass a slap in the process, making him laugh.

"Bastard," he said.

"How am I supposed to watch the TV when your ass is in my face?" Sasuke smirked.

"Funny," replied Naruto. "I've never known you to have a problem with having my ass in your face."

"That's true." Sasuke rolled over and draped his arm across Naruto's waist. "I'm not so tired that I'd turn down the opportunity." He leaned in to kiss Naruto on the mouth, hand moving up to his chest where it paused above Naruto's heart. Naruto wrapped his hand around the back of Sasuke's neck, pulling him down more, until he was pressed up against his side.

Sasuke shifted back a ways, and Naruto could still feel the pressure of where his lips had been. He rubbed the tip of his finger across the bottom one.

"I like having you here," he said, looking at Sasuke, head angled a bit to the side.

"Do you?" Sasuke asked and moved a strand of hair from his cheek to behind an ear. "I like being here. With you."

"You're not bored of me yet?" Naruto asked, reaching up to touch the side of Sasuke's face, thumb sliding along the curve of his jaw.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Why would you ask that?"

Naruto shrugged. "Dunno. Guess I feel morose tonight."

Sasuke frowned. "Why do you feel morose?" He played with Naruto's hair, running his fingers through it.

"Just one of those days maybe. It's not a big deal. I mean, it's infinitely better with you here already, but, yeah."

Sasuke hummed, grabbed for the remote and put the TV on mute. "Anything I can do?"

"Tell me a story?" Naruto suggested hopefully.

"What, like a fairytale? Aren't you a little too old for that?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No, I mean a story from your past. Something I don't know yet."

"That could be entering dangerous territory," said Sasuke. "You get upset when I tell you things from my past."

Naruto made a face. "Only when you tell me shit like when those guys jumped you and beat the crap out of you and then your weird ass hopped on a bus after that. All bloody and bruised."

"Hey." Sasuke poked him in the forehead. "I thought that was pretty cool how I staggered right onto that city bus, went home, and passed out."

"Okay, so tell me a sexy story. I promise not to get jealous. Probably."

"You want me to tell you about a time I had sex with someone else?"

Naruto nearly gagged. "No. I don't wanna hear that, just... I dunno. A sexy story. Not, like, details about you with someone else, but just... somethin'."

Sasuke stopped stroking his hair and spoke near Naruto's ear. "If you're horny and just want to hear me saying something dirty, all you have to do is ask, Naruto."

Naruto bit his lip, suppressing a shiver. He turned, and they kissed some more, no part of their bodies touching except their mouths and tongues. Sasuke was patient, letting him nip and suck at his bottom lip like he knew Naruto needed some kind of assurance that even he didn't understand. It was enough, like he'd said, just to have Sasuke there with him. It was unbelievable how grounded it made him feel, how grateful. When they stopped kissing, Sasuke traced his mouth with a thumb. Naruto pursed his lips and Sasuke pressed his thumb against them until he bit gently at the tip and nail and then sucked on it, Sasuke's dark eyes on him the entire time.

"Tease," sighed Sasuke as he drew his hand away, letting it fall between them on the blankets. "So, am I still supposed to tell you a story or not?"

"Sure," said Naruto.

"Requests?"

"Hm. What's the kinkiest thing you've ever done?"

"Kinkiest?" Sasuke repeated. "I don't suppose I can get away with saying blowing you in the dressing room of the men's department at Sak's?"

"If it's the kinkiest thing you've ever done, then sure." Naruto folded an arm underneath his head. "We sort of do a lot of kinky things, don't we? Even right off the bat."

"Like the bathtub." Sasuke smirked.

"Like the other week in your car," said Naruto, grinning coyly.

"Yeah, I'm wondering if it's best we not do that while I'm driving anymore."

Naruto chuckled. "Maybe not. But, I mean... I've seen some of your toys, Sasuke."

"Wait. When have you seen my toys?" Sasuke scowled at him.

"Nevermind that. What's important is that I'm curious about your, uh... tastes."

"Uh huh. Is this about my whorish past?"

"Tch. I didn't say that."

Sasuke poked his cheek. "You didn't have to. I knew you were thinking it. What are you curious about? Orgies? Exhibitionism? Bondage? S&M?"

Naruto got up on his elbow. "Wait. You've had orgies?"

"Haven't _you_?"

"I can't tell whether you're teasin' or not. Besides, what constitutes an orgy? Four or more?"

"Four doesn't sound like an orgy."

Naruto fell back down on the bed, his hand on his chest. "Please tell me you haven't had sex with four guys at once."

"Seriously? Do you really think that's something I'd do?"

"Am I gonna get hit if I say I'm not sure?"

Sasuke glared, but there wasn't much intensity behind it. "I've never partaken in an orgy, nor can I say I've ever really wanted to. Have I ever roamed a bath once or twice and seen an orgy happening? Yes."

"Wow, really? Was it... hot?"

"Was it hot? Hm." Sasuke started to trace a finger down the line of his arm. "Not... particularly, but I didn't stand there and ogle them. I may have a few kinks, but I don't think multiple partners at once is one of them."

"What about a threesome?" Naruto asked, somewhat hesitantly because, while he could pretty much handle the idea of Sasuke fucking someone else (sort of), the idea of someone fucking Sasuke was more likely to make him jealous. Mostly because he knew that he'd said he didn't bottom often before they'd met, so if Sasuke _did _allow someone to do... things... to him, it was easy for Naruto to interpret it as having some type of meaning even if that wasn't necessarily the case.

Sasuke pressed his thumb between Naruto's eyebrows. "I'm not going to answer that because you're already worrying about it. I can tell."

"Well that answers it anyway. S'gotta be a yes."

"You've never had a threesome?" he asked Naruto, putting a hand on his hip and rubbing his thumb up and down along his naked side.

"Nope."

"You've never wanted to have one?"

"I'm sure I've fantasized about it," he answered. "It just never presented itself, and, I also think..."

"You're not that type of guy?" Sasuke's hand came to a rest on his stomach, his fingers curled inward over his navel. The thumb started to brush against his skin again, and it was oddly distracting.

"No. I'm really not. I like bein' with one person at a time. I like to be able to give someone my full attention."

Sasuke nodded and pressed his hand flat. Slowly, he moved it up to Naruto's neck, his fingers spread apart, not exactly squeezing. "The kinkiest thing I ever did was go to this one club a few times." His fingers constricted a bit more around Naruto's throat.

"Club?" asked Naruto, licking his lips and watching his boyfriend's face intently.

"Club," Sasuke repeated and started to drag his nails from Naruto's throat to the middle of his stomach. He slapped his hand down twice - not very hard, just like a rough pat.

Naruto's eyebrow drew up. "_That _sort of club?"

Sasuke's lips parted. Naruto could see him slide his tongue across his teeth. It's what Sasuke did when he thought deeply about something.

"I'll tell you, Naruto, so long as you promise not to get upset."

"You tellin' me not to get upset is more likely to make me upset," he said and folded his arm under his head again, feeling the need to shift around with the weight of Sasuke's hand still on him.

"You asked, so I'm telling you."

"Okay. I know. I can take it."

Sasuke gave him a doubtful look. He sighed, glanced away and moved his hand off of Naruto to run it through his own hair. "I moved to New York shortly after my parents died. It was a few months before my 21st birthday, and I'd had someone mention this club to me that was in the Meat Packing district."

"Of course," said Naruto with a snort, but the glare Sasuke shot him made him sober up his expression.

"As I was saying," Sasuke continued, "It wasn't one of the most uplifting moments in my life. I was looking for a cheap thrill or just something to make me _feel_again."

Naruto frowned and rolled onto his side and then on his stomach, where he slid closer to Sasuke's front. Sasuke put an arm around him, his nose nudging Naruto's hairline. He waited for the rest of the story, chest rising and falling shallowly.

"I'd been given a name of who to ask for. Obviously it was an establishment that catered to gay men. I didn't know the guy, and he was very professional. Actually, I think he said that he worked on Wall Street during the day if I'm remembering that right." Sasuke shook his head, squeezing Naruto more tightly to him.

"What did he look like?" Naruto asked, voice quiet enough to be a whisper.

"He was big. As in, lots of muscles. Lots of tattoos, some piercings."

"Where at?"

"Where were the piercings?" Sasuke asked, kissing the top of his head.

"Yeah. I wanna be able to imagine this guy."

Sasuke kept his lips pressed to the side of Naruto's head. He placed his hand on the small of Naruto's back. "He had several in his ears. Both of his nipples were pierced. He also had a crossbar that went through the head of his penis."

Naruto's head snapped up. "You're serious? Holy shit. I think my cock just shriveled up at the thought of it." Then it occurred to him why Sasuke would've known the guy had his cock pierced and he lay his head back down on the pillow. "Sorry, continue."

"We discussed some terms. He asked me what I was into, what I wouldn't be okay with. I have to admit that at the time, there wasn't much I wouldn't have let him do. He wasn't even the usual type I'd go for, say if I was out at a gay bar or dance club. He was a genuine _bear_."

Naruto somehow found it difficult to picture Sasuke with a person who would've fit this description, but he didn't say so.

"The first session started off slow. He taught me some basics about what he expected me to do, how I was supposed to act. I had...safewords."

"Safewords?"

"For if whatever he was doing hurt too much or for something I wasn't comfortable with."

"Did you ever have to use them?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.

Sasuke rested his head on Naruto's shoulder. "I did. Only once. Not because the pain was too much. I'll just say that he had put me in a very confined space. We'd even done it before, but this particular time... I don't know why, but it really started to get to me, and I had to quit the scene."

"Hm." Naruto grazed his knuckles against Sasuke's bare stomach. "That doesn't sound very sexy."

"That part wasn't, that's for sure." Sasuke sighed again, heavier than before. "But there were sexy moments. The whole thing was just about sex and pain and giving up control, but it was a phase."

"How many times did you go to this guy?"

"I had five or six sessions with him, but I quit going shortly after my 21st birthday. I just... didn't need to go there anymore."

Naruto got up and, pressing the back of his hand to Sasuke's stomach, pushed him down onto the bed. Sasuke went willingly, his expression open. He looked vulnerable. His hair was scattered across his cheek and pillow, the light from the TV bringing out the blue hues in it.

"It makes me sad that I didn't know you then, Sasuke."

"I wouldn't have let you _get_to know me. Not at that time. I was a different person than I am now."

"I would've been persistent, but, yeah, I guess there are things we encounter that bring us around to who we are today."

Sasuke grabbed for one of his hands and held it loosely. "You would've been with your older woman anyway. You wouldn't have given me a second thought."

That comment... sort of hurt him, but he wasn't entirely sure why. Probably because it was true, or maybe he was still affected by that relationship for some reason.

"She did have me wrapped around her finger," he admitted. "But she definitely didn't have any piercings."

"No?" Sasuke's lip curled into a smirk. "That's too bad."

"Should I pierce my cock, Sasuke?" he asked playfully. "Did it feel good at least?"

"I think my ass was too numb from the floggings and spankings to even notice any other added discomfort," Sasuke answered.

Naruto shook his head and buried his face into the crook of his boyfriend's neck, breathing his scent in deeply. "I don't feel jealous, but I sort of feel sad that there came a point where you had to go to someone and have them beat the crap out of you and fuck you with a bar in their cock for you to be able to feel anything."

"I'm better now," said Sasuke, turning his head to kiss at his temple. "Obviously. You get the product of all that stuff I had to work through in order to become normal."

"What's normal anyway?" He kissed the side of Sasuke's throat. "I like you how you are." He paused, biting his tongue when he was about to say _I_ love _who you are_. It wanted to come out, but he couldn't get the words to actually form and leave his mouth.

"Would you have liked me then, I wonder?"

"You're you, Sasuke. You've always been you. I wouldn't have liked the you you are now any more than the you who would've gone to that sorta club for fun or pleasure or... to punish yourself. It's not as if that person disappeared. He's still in you somewhere, right?" He put his hand over Sasuke's heart. "I just gotta stick around and make sure he stays inside, though. Not, like, as a prisoner. But just..." He turned his hand into a fist and flattened it out again, fingers spread out widely. "Keep him content. Remind him that he's not alone anymore."

Suddenly he was being pushed and rolled over onto his back. Sasuke grabbed for his wrists, pinned them above his head and kissed him roughly. It was so sudden, so heated, that Naruto let out a whimper as Sasuke urged him to open up so that he could get his tongue inside. Sasuke's kisses were urgent and searching. Naruto met every one of his kisses with equal passion and fervor. When they stopped, they were both breathing hard. Their mouths remained close. Sasuke was looking at him like he had something to say. Naruto cupped his cheek and tenderly traced the delicate shell of his ear with a thumb, smiling softly at him.

"I wish you'd say it," said Sasuke, leaning into his hand, sounding very tired.

"I want to say it. You know I want to say it. You know how I feel."

"I know."

"You'll say it soon." It was almost like a question.

"I will say it soon," he answered and covered Sasuke's eyes with his hand.

"Naruto..."

"Hm?"

Sasuke was biting his lip. Naruto kept his hand still.

When Sasuke didn't finish what he was going to say, Naruto simply told him, "I know."

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto removed his hand, leaned in - eyes shut - and kissed Sasuke slowly, telling him all those things he couldn't quite verbalize yet but wanted to make sure he understood it was all in there if only he could just wait a little longer. When Sasuke kissed him back, long fingers curling at the base of his neck to pull him on top, he knew that Sasuke would get it because that's just how it always worked with them.


	3. Those Three Words

**Edited for content (barely, just two sentences). Full version on y-gal.**

* * *

The alarm went off at 4 a.m. on a Monday, and Naruto swore into the pillow. Sasuke threw back the covers and turned off the alarm. Quietly, he got out of the bed, opened a few drawers, and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Naruto heard the shower start, but a few minutes later, he was out again, snoring.

He woke when he felt a kiss on his cheek. "My ride's here," Sasuke said, his voice hushed and gentle.

Naruto rolled over, half-glaring when Sasuke abruptly laughed. "What?" he asked grumpily. "It's the hair, isn't it? It's always gonna look like this in the morning, you don't have to always laugh at it."

"I'm not going to see you for a whole week, and you're going to be a grouch before I leave?"

Naruto whined and threw his arms around him, bringing Sasuke down on top of him with a surprised 'oof.'

"Don't leave me, Sasuke!" He twisted back and forth, groaning dramatically. "We haven't been apart before! What will I do?"

"Probably the same thing you do with me here? Eat all my food and play my video games."

"Ah, yeah, that does sound good. See ya later!"

"Jerk," murmured Sasuke before he took Naruto's face in his hands and kissed him deeply, his hand gliding over Naruto's chest and stomach. "Will you miss me?" he asked, his voice gruff when he spoke against Naruto's lips.

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck. "Yeah."

Sasuke gave him another peck. "Good. I'll call you when I get there, okay?"

"Mm. Alright. Bring me somethin' cool from Austin." He pushed his fingers through the messy, spiked up hair at the back. "You're doin' your hair in that cool way today, huh? So stylish. Show off." Naruto pulled at it. "Let me know if anyone comes on to you because if I have to, I _will _fly down there and kill them."

Sasuke laughed outright. "I think that would be an abuse of frequent flyer miles."

"Yeah, well..."

Sasuke leaned in and kissed him a few more times. "I'm not going to miss your morning breath..."

"Shut up. You'll miss everything about me the instant you're out of this room."

Sasuke kissed him on the forehead and, reluctantly, got out of bed. "Okay, I'm leaving. Go back to bed."

Naruto frowned, watching him as he zipped his suitcase and threw the backpack over his shoulder.

Sasuke opened the bedroom door, giving him one last look. "Goodbye."

"Bye, Sasuke," replied Naruto before the door closed quietly again.

Unconsciously holding his breath, he waited until the front door of the apartment shut. Almost immediately after, he heard Ollie meowing at the bedroom door as obviously he seemed wise that his master was going somewhere without him and not returning for a while. Sighing, Naruto got out from under the warm covers and let Ollie into the room. He got back into bed, and Ollie, mewing questioningly, hopped up beside him, sniffing at Sasuke's pillow before lying on top of it. Seeing the empty space made him feel kind of sad already. Sasuke was only in Texas for a week, but after about six weeks of dating, they hadn't ever really been... separated for more than a day or two. It was... sort of odd. Not that big of a deal, but just... odd. Since he was used to Sasuke's constant company - more than a best friend, but like... a constant companion. He reached over and rubbed Ollie's head. The cat opened its eyes to slits, purring contentedly.

"He'll be back soon," he told Ollie.

It took him a while as he tried to get comfortable again, tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, but eventually by around 5.45 he was able to fall asleep.

* * *

Naruto was already at work by the time Sasuke called to let him know the plane had landed, pretty much on schedule and that he and his colleagues were going to head for lunch and then try to check into the hotel they were all staying at together.

"Is it hot there?" he asked, leaning the phone against his shoulder as he searched through a file cabinet for a certain folder.

"It's in the 70s."

Naruto groaned. "Sounds nice. I can't wait for warmer weather around here. I'm dyin' to take you out on the boat."

"What are your plans for tonight?" Sasuke asked.

"Hm. Dunno. Ino's workin' today so she said somethin' about hanging out. There might be some other people besides her, me, and Kiba."

"You have friends _other_than Kiba and Ino?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, y'know I do. You just haven't met any of them yet."

"I have to go soon, Naruto."

"Alright." Naruto found the file of invoices he was looking for and shut the drawer. "Don't have too much fun without me."

"It's all work, so I probably won't. Want me to call you later or will you be busy with your hordes of invisible friends?"

Naruto ignored the jab. "If you want. Don't feel like you _have_to if you're gonna be busy. S'fine."

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Don't forget to feed Ollie."

"Pssht. I won't. He's practically like a son to me," he said.

"I'm not even going to touch that for now," replied Sasuke.

"First time I've heard you say _that _before."

Sasuke chuckled. "You know," his voice went more quiet, like he might've been around other people, "Me being away would be a good opportunity for phone sex."

"Ha!" Naruto leaned against the desk, hitting the folder against his leg. "You wish, and don't you have someone you're supposed to share a room with? I think that'd be a little uncomfortable for them."

"I'll wait until they leave then."

"Go do some work, Sasuke."

"Fine. I'll call you later, Naruto."

"Okay, bye."

They hung up, and Naruto was shaking his head, aware that he was smiling.

"Naruto, did you find that damn invoice yet? What's taking you so long?"

He turned around, and Ino was standing in the doorway. "Yeah, s'right here." He waved it at her, and she snatched it from him.

"You look happy. Did something good happen?" she asked, tugging at the hoop in her left ear.

"Just Sasuke callin' to tell me his plane landed in Austin."

"Everything okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yep. All's good."

"When does he get back?"

"Sunday."

"Oh." She smiled coyly. "That's a long time. Do you think you two will be okay without each other?"

"Please," he said. "We're not that sappy. It's only a week. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that."

Ino raised her eyebrow, humming dubiously at him. "Well, at least that means we can all hang out again. I swear since the two of you have been dating, you've become like those girls who can never do anything without their boyfriend."

Naruto frowned. "Hey. First of all, not a girl," he pointed at his crotch and Ino rolled her eyes. "Second of all, we've done stuff together. We had lunch with Sasuke, what, a month ago? And you and I have hang out at work. Kiba hangs out with us all the time."

"Awfully defensive, aren't we?" she said, tapping her finger against her cheek. "I was only kidding. I thought tonight, though, we could go to my place. We can order pizza. It'll be like old times. We can even have a board game night, wouldn't that be fun?"

"Uh, yeah. I love... board games."

"Fine. Bring your stupid PS3!"

"Alright." He grinned. "Wanna grab lunch together today, too?"

"Really? Yeah, I'd love to! We haven't done that in a while, have we?"

"Nope. I'll even pay."

"Ooh, like a date!" she teased. "Won't Sasuke be jealous?"

"Heh. I imagine he'll be fine considering he'll be hangin' out with famous musicians and all those good looking people he works with."

"Really," she wrinkled her nose. "That sucks. I can imagine that everyone he works with is as attractive as he is. But at least you don't have to worry about the women? And I'm sure not _all_the men are gay."

Naruto slid past her through the door. "Thanks, Ino. That made me feel a lot better," he said sarcastically.

* * *

Later that night, Ino, Kiba, Naruto, and their other friends Lee, Neji, and TenTen were hanging out in Ino's living room. The group - Lee especially - was a fair amount tipsy, maybe even bordering on obnoxiously drunk, and it was only 9 p.m. There were empty and half-empty pizza boxes on the table alongside bowls of Doritos and cheesy poofs. Neji and TenTen were (very) close together on the couch, apparently in deep conversation with one another. Kiba and Lee were playing an intense game of Jenga on the coffee table, Kiba doing his best to fuck with Lee, and Lee going on about strategies on how to keep the pile from falling over.

Naruto and Ino were in front of the TV, playing Dance Party 3 on the Wii. Naruto was nearly out of breath after three songs.

"Holy shit, this is harder than it looks," he said.

Ino, on the other hand (because she had a dancing and cheerleading background) could do all the moves perfectly and was positively _crushing_him with every round.

"You look like such an idiot, Naruto, just so y'know," said Kiba, watching them. "What would Sasuke say?"

Naruto was busy having to spin around in time with the _Rock Party Anthem _guy. "He'd say that y'need to shut up and make sure Lee doesn't spill that cup of beer all over the carpet."

"Ah, Naruto," said Lee. "When are you going to introduce me to this new friend of yours that I keep hearing about?"

"Uh..." Was all Naruto managed to get out before he had to do another complicated move that had him nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Naruto's probably afraid that you'll embarrass him what with those," Kiba pointed rudely, "Weird eyebrows of yours. They'd scare anybody away."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder. "That's not true, Lee. You can meet Sasuke whenever you want to."

"Good, because any friend of yours is a friend of ours, and we should welcome him with open arms to the family," replied Lee enthusiastically.

"Shut up and pull out your stick," growled Kiba.

"Ha, that's what she said!" shouted Naruto, and Ino swatted him on the back of the head with the hand _not_holding the Wii remote, thank goodness. There was a crash behind them and apparently Lee lost. The blocks scattered across the glass and onto the carpet.

"Alright, my turn!" Kiba got up to take Ino's place, pulling some ridiculous stretching moves.

"So pushy," she said, smiling at him, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to get a bottle of water? Anyone need anything?"

"Nope," answered Kiba and Naruto. Lee and TenTen said "no thanks." Neji was still busy telling TenTen about some recent investment he'd made, and how it was generating interest at a 10 percent higher rate than most CDs.

"Y'know, Neji," said Kiba, "I don't think I've ever known someone who, when they drink, can become even _more _boring than they are sober."

Neji answered by throwing a pillow at his head and carrying on with his conversation. TenTen didn't seem to mind anyway and actually looked interested. Even Lee took a seat next to Neji and joined in, asking one question after another. Neji patiently answered all of them.

Naruto chuckled as he picked out their next song. "Doesn't this guy look like Chief Illiniwick?" he asked, choosing the _Apache (Jump On It)_song by the Sugar Hill Gang.

"Ha, yeah it totally does, that's hilarious! I miss that guy."

"Yeah, well apparently it was too racist for some people," said Naruto.

Ino returned from the kitchen. "You realize I have to record this, don't you?"

Naruto looked over and saw that she had his phone out and was pointing it in their direction.

"I don't mind showin' off my skills," he said, moving his hands in sync with the guy on the screen.

"Is that what y'call skills?" remarked Kiba, though he was probably the drunkest one here, and it showed. He hit Naruto in the arm at least three times with the Wii remote while he was dancing, but Naruto couldn't do much but laugh even when it hurt like hell. When they turned in circles, they were going in opposite directions (Naruto was the one doing it wrong).

Ino laughed behind them. "This is hilarious. I'm sending this to Sasuke, by the way."

"Ah great," he said. "You realize he may get kicked out of the gay club if they find out he has a boyfriend who can't dance."

"Ha ha." Kiba laughed hysterically, like it was the funniest joke he'd ever heard in his life.

"So Naruto," he heard Neji ask, "Just what is it like to go from heterosexual to homosexual?"

"Uuuh," he kept flailing his arms up in the air and then down toward the carpet, "It's... not that bad actually."

"Well, good for you," he said. "You haven't had anyone give you problems yet, have you?"

"Nah, not really. Not anyone in my close circle anyway. I can see why some people are surprised but," he shrugged. "I like Sasuke. Can't help it."

"It's true," said Kiba. "You should see them together, Neji. They're like a goddam newly wed couple. Sasuke's cool, though. In fact, I'd say he's outta Naruto's league."

Naruto "accidentally" whacked Kiba in the back.

"Hey, asshole, that hurt!" cried Kiba.

"Hand slipped," said Naruto.

"We'd love to meet him some time," TenTen said excitedly. "Ino says that he's super hot and really sexy!"

Both Kiba and Naruto looked at Ino.

"What?" she said, not apologetic or ashamed in the slightest. "He _is_hot and sexy!"

"Should we be worried?" Kiba asked Naruto.

"Definitely not," replied Naruto. "He's _very _gay. Trust me."

"Oh, he's texted you back, Naruto!" Ino giggled. "What should I say in reply?"

"What did he say?" he asked, smirking. The song was over. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and went to grab the phone from her to read the text.

_Very nice. Try not to break a hip, idiot_

Naruto chuckled and brought the phone with him to the couch, where he sat beside Lee. Ino took his place in front of the TV and made an attempt at instructing Kiba on how to dance properly, which led to them shouting at each other and arguing over which song to do next.

He texted Sasuke. _i think u of all people should know i'm fairly flexible_

It was about a minute before he got a reply: _Don't tease. I have to introduce a new band we're representing, and I don't think the microphone is wide enough to hide a hard on_

Naruto laughed. Lee glanced over. "What's so funny?"

"Ah, just textin' with Sasuke. He says I'm givin' him a boner." He texted back something dirty just to spite his boyfriend.

"That's... wonderful!" cried Lee.

"Too much information," said Neji. "By the way, did I tell you Hinata will be in town on Wednesday?"

"Oh, wow, really?" he said, his phone vibrating again. "I haven't seen your cousin, since, I dunno. High school? What's she up to? Why's she comin' home?"

"One of her best friends from high school is getting married on Friday, so she flew in from San Diego."

"Ah, is that where she's at now? I didn't know that."

"Aren't you two Facebook friends?" asked Kiba, who sounded out of breath already. "Since you two were so _close_in high school."

"No... we're not," he answered, his brow furrowing. "Or, well, she hasn't sent me a request. I haven't thought about her in years."

"Well, I think she wanted me to let you know she'd be in town. I'm sure she'd like to catch up with you. I didn't mention to her you were dating a man though. She is delicate, after all, as I'm sure you remember."

He heard Kiba snort. Naruto read Sasuke's new message and his face went red.

"Uh... sure," he said distractedly. "Maybe she and I can do lunch."

"I'll let her know," said Neji. "Should we leave you to your sexting?"

Naruto didn't hear him. He was too busy returning Sasuke's series of very..._flirtatious _texts.

* * *

Tuesday passed by without much fanfare other than he, Kiba, and Ino didn't feel so hot at work today. He'd passed out on Ino's couch. Ino and Kiba had slept in the bedroom. Neji and TenTen left together and Lee was buried under a pile of blankets on the floor, curled up in a ball. But in the morning, they'd all had breakfast together. Naruto helped Ino make pancakes, eggs, and bacon for everyone. Kiba had been too busy throwing up into the toilet.

After work, Naruto went to Sasuke's apartment to feed Ollie and pay him some attention. He was doing something on the computer when his phone rang and - thinking it was Sasuke - picked it up without looking at the ID.

"Hey," he said, "Thought you were gonna be busy tonight, douche."

"U-um, is this... is this Naruto? Hi. Th-this is Hinata."

Naruto swallowed a swear. "I am so sorry, Hinata! I thought you were someone else! God, I'm such an idiot. I'm really sorry. I'd never call you a douche!"

Hinata laughed on the other end. "I figured you didn't know it was me. How are you? Neji said he saw you last night, and he gave me your number. I hope that's alright?"

"Sure, that's great. He said you're comin' into town tomorrow? You're going to a wedding?"

"Yes. Do you remember Shino? He's getting married! Isn't that exciting?"

"Wow, Shino's getting married? That's... crazy." Naruto dragged his finger across the space bar and then spun the chair around. He saw Ollie in the doorway, staring at him. He made a come hither gesture to the cat, but he turned around and ran away.

Hinata's laughter was warm and soft in his ear. "I know. He was so shy in high school, wasn't he?"

"He was," said Naruto. "But, so were you!"

"I know. I was so shy back then, but I've gotten better!"

"Is that so? Well, then I'm proud. I always knew you were just a late bloomer."

"Thank you. I'm sure you're busy, but I was wondering if we could get together tomorrow for dinner? Or coffee is fine if that's too much of a bother for you? There's something I'd like to ask you."

Naruto spun around in the chair again, raking a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's cool. I'm pretty free this week, I guess. So we can do dinner _or_coffee. Whatever you want. We could probably even do both!"

"Okay, great. I'll give you a call tomorrow. My plane gets in early. Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"I'm r-really excited to see you! It's been too long. I feel so bad for not keeping in contact with you."

Naruto frowned at the computer screen. "It's just as much my fault. It's easy to lose touch with everyone as they start moving around and doing their own thing. I'll probably be here forever though. Y'know me."

"I think I'd be rather happy to find you haven't changed much. I'll talk to you tomorrow then. Goodbye."

"Bye, Hinata." He set the phone on the desk, staring at it, thinking about high school and the Hinata he remembered - her dark hair cut short in a bob, the way she used to stutter and blush so terribly whenever she got nervous, but he also remembered her as being incredibly kind, especially after he'd lost his Mom and had started acting like a punk. She used to get bullied by some of the older girls, and he remembered once or twice he had to step in and tell them to back off. He was pretty sure they were just jealous since Neji and Hinata were somewhat well off, and Hinata had always been pretty. She'd just never stood out, really, which is probably why he hadn't thought about her in years. He wondered what she wanted to ask him.

A few minutes later and his phone went off again. This time it was Sasuke.

"Hey," he answered happily.

"You sound like you're in a good mood."

"I am now." He leaned back in the chair, looking at the ceiling. It was good just to hear Sasuke's voice. "What's up? Havin' a good time? I thought you'd be out doin' work things."

"I am doing work things, but I saw this moron dancing in front of the main stage like an idiot and thought of you."

He snorted. "You're so nice to me, have I ever told you that?"

"I know. You're spoiled. How was your day?"

"Pretty bad at first. We were all hungover, but then Ino and I made breakfast. We went to work, and now I'm home, but I think Ollie is upset. He may have abandonment issues."

"He'll get over it," said Sasuke, not sounding too concerned.

Naruto tapped his fingers on the chair arm. "Ah, I did have an old friend from high school call right before you. She wants to have dinner or coffee tomorrow. Says she has somethin' to ask me."

"Oh? So you're going to take this woman I've never heard you mention before to_our_Starbuck's?"

Naruto grinned. "No. I thought we could just get coffee wherever we have dinner."

"Hm."

"C'mon, Sasuke. It's not like that. I haven't seen her in five years, and she's flyin' in for a wedding. I know the groom, too. We all went to high school together... he used to be such a _weirdo_. If that guy can get married, even _I_- " He paused.

"What?" asked Sasuke, apparently amused. "Not going to finish that statement?"

"Er," he scratched the back of his neck. "So, the weather's still good?"

"Yes. It's still hot. Still dry. Still Republican."

"I enjoyed our texting session last night," he said, lowering his voice, "Although I have to admit I was a bit drunk, so I reread them this morning."

"I might've had a few myself, but, yes, I also reread our conversation this morning, and then in the afternoon, and maybe ten minutes before I called you."

Naruto bit his bottom lip. "Miss me yet?"

"Very much so. I'd gotten used to having you around."

"Same."

"Maybe after your date tomorrow, you and I can have our own phone date?"

The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched into a smile. "Yeah? What sorta phone date?"

"Oh, I don't know. Don't you have any ideas?"

"I can think of a few... yeah."

"Are you at my place now?"

"I am," he said, running his fingers across his stomach.

"Where at?"

"In your room."

"Probably not in bed though, right?" Sasuke asked in that voice he always used when he was trying to turn Naruto on.

"No... in the chair. In front of the computer."

"What are you wearing?"

"_Sasuke_," he said, feeling his face heat up.

"It's just a question. I want to make sure you're wearing something warm. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

"Yeah, I bet." Naruto laughed. "Well, I dunno how late I'll be, but yeah. Phone date."

"Mm. I'm looking forward to it and to hearing the details about your... _dinner_."

"Right, like you're worried," said Naruto.

"Is she pretty?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"Who? Hinata? I dunno. Like I said, haven't seen her in ages."

"Was she pretty in high school?"

"I guess so, yeah, but she was super shy. She'd practically faint every time I talked to her or touched her, but she was a good girl."

"I see." Sasuke didn't sound convinced. "You two never dated, did you?"

"What! No. Sheesh, Sasuke."

"Alright. I have to go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Night."

Sasuke hung up. Naruto drew the phone away from his ear slowly, half flattered that Sasuke was acting jealous. It's not as if it had been easy for Naruto to let Sasuke go out of town for a week either. Didn't people hang out at festivals all half-naked, getting drunk, doing drugs? But, it wasn't like that with them. He trusted Sasuke completely, although he almost sort of wished he'd gone with him, but he didn't want to distract Sasuke from his work.

After a while, he shut down Sasuke's computer and went out to the living room to play some BioShock. Ollie was on the window sill and barely acknowledged him when he entered the room.

"Sunday," he told Ollie. "He'll be back Sunday."

* * *

It was Wednesday, and Naruto was running about 10 minutes late in meeting Hinata at a nicer restaurant downtown. When he got there, he apologized for making her wait, though she said she'd only just arrived. She looked... _very _different than what he remembered. She had on a very pale lavender dress with thin straps, that left her shoulders obscenely bare. He was always used to her covering up more. Her hair was no longer short in a bob, but long, nearly to her waist, and she seemed much more confident and personable, though still rather soft spoken. Makeup, too. He didn't remember her as wearing much makeup in high school, but she had on eye shadow, blush, and some pink gloss on her lips.

He said exactly what he was thinking.

"You look really great, Hinata."

She blushed and thanked him. He put a hand to the small of her back as the host showed them to their table. They ordered a couple of drinks and started talking about people and events that had happened in high school. Hinata caught him up on what had been going on in her life, and he told her that he was working for his Dad, of course, and alongside Kiba and Ino. They spoke about college up until their meals arrived, and then she started talking about Shino and the wedding.

"That reminds me," he said. "You had something to ask me?"

"Well," she started, dabbing her lips with the cloth napkin, "I know this is short notice, but I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to the wedding?"

"What, like, as a _date_?" he blurted, perhaps a little too loudly because Hinata glanced around the room as if embarrassed.

"N-no. I thought just as f-friends. But I'm sort of nervous to go alone, and you knew Shino, too, so I thought - "

Naruto watched her turn into a stuttering, blushing mess and felt guilty he hadn't been more tactful. "Um. I mean, yeah... what's Neji doing?"

She fidgeted with her napkin. "He said he didn't want to go. He wasn't very fond of Shino, but I don't know why. If you don't want to go, it's okay," her eyes looked everywhere but at him, "I won't be offended."

Naruto blew out a resigned breath. "No. I'll go. I mean, yeah. It shouldn't be a problem, and it is sorta awkward to go to weddings alone, isn't it?"

"Really? Thank you very much, Naruto. I'll try not to be much of a burden."

"Please, it's no burden for a guy to escort a beautiful woman to a wedding." He smiled. She smiled back at him, and because she looked so genuinely happy, he felt confident he'd made the right decision. "Guess that means I'll need to find a suit, eh?"

* * *

Two hours later, and Naruto was back at Sasuke's apartment. He hadn't heard from Sasuke yet, so he went about cleaning out the litter box and giving Ollie some more water. He walked into the living room and, after taking a seat on the couch, flipped through the channels, but there wasn't much on. Finally, his phone rang.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

"How was your date?"

He muted the TV. "It wasn't a date! Would you cut that out?"

"Fine. How was dinner?"

"It was good. We caught up on stuff," he paused to bite his lip, "_But_…"

"But…?" Sasuke questioned when he didn't finish.

"It's not a big deal," he said, suddenly anxious, "_But _she asked if I'd go to the wedding with her this Friday."

"Wait. You said _yes_?"

"Of course, I said _yes_! She said she didn't have anyone else to go with and since I know the guy, it seemed alright. I wasn't gonna let her go _alone_. It woulda made me seem like an asshole."

"Right," said Sasuke dryly, "Because it wouldn't make you look like an _asshole_to your boyfriend by agreeing to go with her. You realize that most people bring significant others as dates to weddings, right?"

"Sasuke," he said, annoyed. "I made it clear to her we were just goin' as friends."

"Did you? How?"

"I asked if it was a date, and she said no, that we were just goin' as friends."

"Did you tell her you were seeing someone?"

Naruto didn't answer right away.

"I'll take your lack of answer as proof that you didn't. Jesus, Naruto."

"It didn't come up, okay? We haven't talked in years, and I didn't know how to tactfully bring up the whole _Hey, by the way, I'm dating a guy now_. The girl already practically has a heart attack whenever we talk, I didn't wanna freak her out."

"Right." Sasuke's tone was clipped.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that."

"Don't be like _what_? Annoyed that you're going out with some woman who obviously has feelings for you, or that you didn't bother to mention you were seeing anyone?"

"Sasuke, c'mon, you're overreacting - "

"How would you feel if I went out with an ex-boyfriend, Naruto?"

"I'd rip yours and his heads off," he replied immediately. "But this is _different_- "

"_How_, how is it different?"

"It's not like I dated her, hell we didn't even _sleep_together."

There was an awkward silence between them for about a minute. Naruto felt frustrated and angry. Mostly because he knew himself and that _nothing_ would ever happen between he and Hinata. Why didn't Sasuke understand that? And he couldn't go around blurting to _everyone_that he was dating a guy. Some people just wouldn't understand. How was he in the wrong here? And this was supposed to be a nice conversation. He'd been looking forward to it all day. Obviously, he missed Sasuke like crazy, but apparently that wasn't enough.

"So much for phone sex, huh," he said, but it came out sounding more bitter than he'd intended.

"You've got that right," replied Sasuke. "We can talk about this when I get back, but I'm... really not happy about this, Naruto."

"Do you want me to call and cancel?"

"No. You told her you'd go, so you should go."

"Is this a test? Where I'm supposed to tell you that no, no I'm not gonna go, so it's fine?"

Sasuke sighed tiredly. "Listen. Do what you want. I've got work to do. I don't care if you go."

"Fine," he said stubbornly.

"Great, then I'll talk to you later."

Sasuke hung up on him.

Naruto stared at the phone, half in disbelief that Sasuke would hang up on him.

"Bastard."

* * *

Throughout Thursday, Naruto had tried to call and text Sasuke, but he didn't respond until late in the evening with a message that read:

_Go to the wedding. We'll talk on Sunday. You can wear one of my suits if you need to._

* * *

It was Friday morning, and Naruto hadn't slept well at all. The wedding was at 4 p.m., and he'd be meeting Hinata at the church since she was apparently helping the groomsmen put on their boutonnières. He had tossed and turned, sometimes angry at himself, sometimes angry at Sasuke, and totally conflicted on whether he should follow through with his commitment to Hinata or cancel on her at the last minute. Finally, he got out of bed and took a shower. He shaved, watching his reflection in the mirror. He had dark bags under his eyes and wondered if he should apply some of that stuff Sasuke used to them to get the puffiness down. Afterward, he went into the bedroom and tugged on a pair of jeans.

Walking into the kitchen, he noticed Ollie's food bowl was full. He hadn't been eating very much since Sasuke left, but he would take a treat or two if Naruto offered it to him. Naruto poured himself some cereal and a cup of orange juice. He'd brought his phone with him and kept checking it every five seconds with the hope he'd hear something from Sasuke. He'd never really known Sasuke to be _this _pissed off at him before. Annoyed, yes. Angry... not so much.

On the one hand, he kind of got where Sasuke was coming from, but he hadn't_intentionally_ kept his love life from Hinata. It just hadn't come up, he guessed, even if they _had_talked about everything else. But did he really have to cancel on her? Is that what Sasuke wanted? He said Naruto should go, and he kind of felt that if he didn't, Sasuke might get mad about that, too, so, in the end, Naruto decided he'd go to the wedding and then on Sunday, he'd make it up to Sasuke somehow.

The week had gone by so slow, and he just...

He just wanted to talk to Sasuke.

"_Fuck_," he shouted and a few seconds later, Ollie appeared in the doorway, his tail high in the air and ears perked. Naruto got up from the stool and dumped the rest of his cereal into the disposal.

* * *

After another few more calls and texts that went unanswered, Naruto dressed in one of Sasuke's suits. It was probably expensive. It was dark blue, and he wore a light blue dress shirt underneath and tucked a matching handkerchief into the breast pocket. He borrowed one of Sasuke's watches, since the battery had died in_his_watch and he hadn't had time to get it changed out. It was weird seeing himself in the mirror, dressed up in one of Sasuke's suits. It didn't quite smell like him, but it certainly wasn't helping his mood much. He fixed his tie, tightening the knot, and then put some product in his hair to spike it up at the top. Grabbing his wallet and car keys, he went to the kitchen to check if Ollie had eaten, but he hadn't. So, before he left, Naruto gave him a few more treats and told him he'd be back later.

* * *

When he met up with Hinata at the back of the church, she, again, looked incredibly pretty. She wore a pale pink silk halter dress that had a band around the waist. The top of it, hugged her chest, almost like a corset. Her hair was straight and swept behind both of her shoulders, her bangs pinned to the side. The color of her dress really brought out the color of her eyes, and it occurred to him for a brief second, how stupid he was in high school not to have realized just how attractive she'd been. But, in his mind, as beautiful as he thought her to be, she could never compare to Sasuke because when he _looked_at Sasuke he felt so many things at once - longing, contentment, excitement - and when he looked at Hinata, all he could think was that she seemed a very nice, very pretty young woman. When he tried to look at her the way he used to look at other women, he saw Sasuke's dark, magnetizing eyes and his cocky smirk.

Everything - his heart and body - reacted to that image and that image alone.

Still, though, he put on a happy face and sat with Hinata in the pew, making small talk until the organist started playing the Bridal Chorus and everyone got to their feet.

"Isn't she so pretty?" Hinata remarked, but it's not as if Naruto could see her very well through the veil.

He drifted off into his own thoughts once the priest told everyone to be seated. It suddenly occurred to him that should he ever have a desire to _marry_ Sasuke, and it was just a fleeting thought, but _if_ he wanted to, this church wouldn't have allowed it. It was oddly sad to him then, strange even, because for a time he had considered proposing to his ex-girlfriend before they had broken up. That relationship had left him cynical and a little emotionally insecure, but _it_ was a match that would've been recognized here, but to marry someone who made him feel complete and like he could do _anything_ he ever dreamt of so long as he had Sasuke's support - it wouldn't be _accepted_. It made him so _furious _for a second.

"Are you feeling okay?" Hinata whispered, touching his arm.

Naruto snapped out of it, reassuring her with a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. Apparently weddings make me emotional."

She nodded and smiled, her attention returning to the older woman at the podium, who was reading the typical passage from Genesis regarding the creation of Eve for Adam. Naruto had heard it several times before, but this time it bothered him. However, the second speaker who came up chose a passage from Corinthians:

_Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude._

_Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right._

_Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things._

_Love never ends._

* * *

Once the wedding had ended and everyone had gone outside to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Shino Aburame, he and Hinata drove to the reception site, which wasn't all that far from the church. He was uncharacteristically quiet. He still hadn't heard from Sasuke, and he wanted to talk to him so badly that it was starting to hurt. It had become pretty difficult to hide from Hinata.

When they pulled into the parking lot and he turned off the car, it was obvious she knew something was wrong. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You don't look very well, Naruto. You didn't look like you felt well through the ceremony either."

"Can I..." he gave a sigh. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yes, of course you can." She looked very worried for him.

"It's not anything bad," he said. "But I want to tell you I'm seeing someone."

"Oh." Hinata appeared surprised at first, but then she smiled. "That's great," she said. "Congratulations. But, is that why you're upset?"

"Not... exactly."

"Should I have not asked you to the wedding? I didn't realize you were seeing someone."

"No, it's not that. Well," he scratched his neck, "Maybe I shouldn't have, but I didn't think it was such a big deal at the time, especially because you're a friend, and I wanted to help out."

"I'm so sorry," she said, sounding really upset. "I didn't mean to cause you problems - "

Naruto grabbed for her hand and squeezed it. "You haven't, trust me. I'm the idiot. But what I want to tell you is that, um... heh. I don't know how to say this, but the person I'm seeing... is a... guy."

Hinata looked like she didn't know what to say, but she didn't try to move her hand, nor did she appear at all disgusted or shocked.

"Really?" she asked. "Neji never mentioned that."

"No. He said he didn't know how to tell you. But. I've never thought you were as delicate as he makes you out to be."

Her eyes widened. "No...," she smiled and tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. "I'm certainly not."

He wiped away one of the tears that fell, careful to avoid smearing her makeup. He caught it on a thumb. "Don't cry," he said.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad," she sniffled, and he handed her his (Sasuke's) handkerchief. "I'm crying because... it really makes me happy to hear you say that."

"About me dating a guy?" he joked.

"No," she laughed, shaking her head. "That you don't think I'm weak or fragile. That means a lot to me." She squeezed his hand again. "But, yes. I'm also very happy for you! Surprised, but happy! Why didn't you tell me! I would've loved to have met him. Both of you could've come!"

"He's out of town until Sunday actually."

"I see, well, that's too bad. I leave Sunday."

"Maybe you two will pass each other at the airport," he said.

"Maybe." She took in a deep breath and let it out, calming herself.

They sat a while in his truck, watching the other guests start to arrive and file into the reception hall. After a few minutes, he asked if she was ready to go inside.

"Yes, I am. If you're sure you still want to go...?"

"I'd love to go, so long as you don't mind bein' with me even though I wasn't very straightforward with you."

"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't expect you to tell me something so personal after five years of not really seeing or talking to each other."

Naruto got out of the car and went to the other side to open her door. He took the gifts from the back seat and carried them under his arm. While they were walking toward the building, Naruto grabbed hold of Hinata's hand. She blushed prettily, and he decided that, no matter what, he'd make sure she had a good time tonight.

* * *

By the time Naruto got home, it was close to midnight. Once more, he slept at Sasuke's apartment, and after taking off Sasuke's suit, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, he snatched up his phone and fell into bed. Ollie was already at his usual place on Sasuke's pillow, but Naruto put an arm around him and dragged him to his chest, cuddling him like a teddy bear.

He knew it was late, and that Sasuke was probably asleep, but he called him anyway. On the fourth ring, someone picked up.

"Hello, Naruto." Sasuke's voice was raspy.

"I woke you up," he said.

"You did."

"I called and texted."

"I know."

Naruto bit his lip and squeezed Ollie closer, nuzzling the back of his head. "Are you alone or is someone there?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I'm alone."

"No, that's not what I meant. I just didn't know if I was disturbing the person you're sharing a room with."

Sasuke yawned. "No. Everyone went out to some bar. I wasn't in the mood."

Naruto felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I shouldn't have told Hinata yes, and I _should've_told her about you right away."

Sasuke took in a sharp breath over the phone. "...Thank you."

"Sasuke, I..." He swallowed. "Um..."

"What is it?" Sasuke's tone became softer. He sounded almost worried. "Naruto?"

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Are you sure you don't want me to come and get you from the airport?"

"You don't have to. I'm riding back with the same person since she lives even further south of the city than I do."

"Um. Okay." He couldn't help but be disappointed.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked sternly. "What's up?"

"It's... nothing. We can talk about it tomorrow, I guess."

"Alright. If that's what you want. So, how was the wedding?"

"The wedding itself made me want to punch people, but the reception was fun. It was an open bar, after all."

"You don't sound very trashed though."

"No, I'm not. We danced. I'll be sore tomorrow." He gave a wary grin.

"That's because you're out of shape," Sasuke replied teasingly. "We never got to keep our date from the other night."

"I know," he said. "You hung up on me."

"I was really mad."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry, moron. I always know your heart's in the right place, so... don't beat yourself up."

"Too late, I think." He put his hand on his chest, where he felt such a terrible ache that he didn't know what he needed in order to make it go away. "Sasuke..."

Sasuke sighed in his ear. Naruto closed his eyes.

"This is almost pathetic, Naruto..."

"I know, right? God, it hasn't been that long! I'm not lettin' you leave ever again. I'm gonna lock you in a cage when you get back."

Sasuke snorted. "We'll have to make sure I have a safeword then."

Naruto barked a laugh. "Is that what happened?"

"Think you can manage one more day without me?"

"I'm... not sure at this point. Plus, Ollie hasn't really been eating still."

"Hm. Nothing at all?"

He scratched behind Ollie's ear. "Not really. I even tried giving him lunch meat tonight. I think he's depressed."

"We'll see what happens when I get back. If he's still not eating, then I'll take him to the vet Monday."

"Okay," he agreed and then a yawn slipped out.

"You sound shattered," said Sasuke. "You should go to bed."

"Mm. I am shattered. On the inside."

"Not being able to see you is... annoying."

"Good," he said, and Sasuke snickered quietly.

"Some people might think otherwise..."

Naruto smiled into the phone. "I can't think of any."

"Oh, I don't know. I doubt Kiba or Ino would miss you too much."

"It's definitely not the same..." Naruto rubbed at his eye. "I'm used to havin' you around at my beck and call."

Sasuke snorted. "Because I respond so well to becking."

Naruto laughed sleepily.

"Shall I come home now?" asked Sasuke. "I don't want to be here anymore."

Naruto thought his heart stopped. "Yeah. Come home."

"Alright. I'll grab the next plane."

"Well, I wouldn't recommend _grabbing_ it. You should probably just get _on_it."

"You think you're so funny. Just for that, I'll come home Sunday."

"Nooo," he whined.

"Just play video games all day, and before you know it, I'll be back."

"Maybe I'll just sleep through Saturday."

"That's an option, too. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep. You sound like you need it."

"Alright. You, too." He was on the verge of saying _it_, but Sasuke had already hung up.

* * *

Naruto woke up pretty late on Saturday even though he'd probably fallen asleep by 12.30 last night. It was almost noon apparently. Ollie had already wandered off. Naruto stripped and got into the shower. He came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and then, going through Sasuke's drawers, happened to find a pair of his boxers. He slipped them on, contented that they were Sasuke's.

He went into the kitchen, scratching his stomach. He wasn't all that hungry, but he hadn't eaten a whole lot yesterday. He glanced down at Ollie's bowl. It looked like some of it might have been eaten, but it wasn't all that much. Naruto sighed and went to the refrigerator, where he grabbed a strawberry and banana yogurt. After he finished it, he had another, but this time he had blueberry.

Most of the day, he spent on Call of Duty. He even put on the headset and microphone as he played several games with Kiba. They talked about the wedding, and Naruto told him all about Shino and Hinata. He didn't mention the fight he'd had with Sasuke because it had already been depressing enough that they'd even had a fight at all and that their first one had mostly been his fault.

Before he knew it, it was about 6 p.m., so he ordered a pizza and practically force fed Ollie some pepperoni and sausage. He did seem to like the pepperoni, so Naruto gave him a few more. He got one text from Sasuke, but that was to say he was pretty busy today since it was the biggest night of the festival. Sasuke's plane didn't get in until early tomorrow evening, so that sort of sucked because he probably wouldn't be able to talk to him again until he was back in Illinois.

After pizza, a few more games, and a movie he ordered on Pay-Per-View, he ended up passing out on the couch with the TV still on.

* * *

A text he received on his cell phone woke him up early on Sunday morning. It was just his Dad, asking him if he was still alive. Naruto rolled his eyes, texted his Dad back, and went into the bedroom. He only got as far as flopping on top of the sheets before he passed out again.

* * *

Naruto got out of bed around one in the afternoon. He'd been up before that, but he'd just been lying in bed, thinking about a lot of stuff, but mostly things about him and Sasuke. Or just Sasuke. He thought about things that had changed since they'd met and started dating. Like, with himself, and how he saw stuff differently now. It wasn't a drastic change, but it was there. He'd never known a week to feel so long, and as sappy as it sounded, it had everything to do with Sasuke being gone.

Eventually, he got out of bed and did some cleaning. He vacuumed everywhere and did some laundry. He washed the sheets since he'd pretty much been sleeping on them every night for the last seven nights, so fresh ones might be a good idea for when Sasuke got home.

It occurred to him that they hadn't done much to celebrate their one month anniversary (which was almost 3 weeks ago now), so he went to the store to get some groceries. Naruto was back at the apartment by 4.30. Sasuke should be home in an hour or so unless the plane had been delayed. Pandora was playing a mix of music in the background through the living room TV. He was only making spaghetti and meatballs since it was pretty hard to mess that up. He got out ingredients for a salad and set plates out on the island.

He'd been away from his phone for 35 minutes, but when he went to check it, there was a text from Sasuke saying they were leaving O'Hare now, so he should be home in 25 minutes if traffic wasn't awful, which it probably would be given that it was a Sunday.

Naruto covered the sauce pan and let it simmer for a while. He grew antsy, though, and went out into the living room to do some more tidying. Ollie kept shooting him looks as if to say that he seemed crazy, but what did _he_know. He was the one who licked his own butt!

* * *

Naruto was back in the kitchen when he heard the door open. He didn't even give Sasuke enough time to come _into_the apartment before he pounced on him. Sasuke had to drop his backpack and suitcase in order to embrace him. He seemed a bit surprised and overwhelmed by the greeting. He ran his hands over Naruto's back in circles and then gave him a pat, but Naruto wasn't quite ready to let go.

"Can I at least bring my stuff into the apartment?" he said into Naruto's ear, a smile in his voice. "Plus, the cat might get out."

Naruto pulled away from him, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry or throw a tantrum and tell Sasuke not to leave again. But, he ended up just grabbing Sasuke's suitcase and dragging it inside. Sasuke threw his backpack on one of the chairs. He sniffed the air.

"Something smells good," he said.

"I'm cooking," Naruto announced proudly.

"Hm. You? Cooking?"

"I'm not completely helpless in the kitchen." Naruto started to bite his lip as he looked at Sasuke.

"What's that look?" Sasuke asked, coming toward him again, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Did you get a tan?" Naruto looked him up and down. "I didn't even think that was possible."

They stared each other down. Naruto moved first, clutching Sasuke by the front of his shirt and pulling him close, kissing him in the hopes of releasing all the pent up frustration that had built over the last week. Sasuke's hands were in his hair, teeth nipping at Naruto's lips. It wasn't long before their clothes were flying off, and Naruto was thankful he'd set the burner to low as he shoved Sasuke onto the couch once they were naked.

It didn't last long. There wasn't a whole lot of prep work that went into it - no condom or even lube - but Naruto did what he could to make it not hurt too much as he slid inside Sasuke, their mouths locked the entire time, the groan that ripped through Sasuke's throat setting his skin on fire everywhere and making Naruto shiver with excitement and anticipation. Sasuke was _tight_. Incredibly so. Naruto groaned with every thrust, Sasuke's nails digging into his back.

* * *

He crawled up Sasuke's body, kissing him everywhere along the way, happier still when he reached his boyfriend's mouth again. They must've lay on the couch kissing for what felt like forever. Naruto buried his face in the crook of Sasuke's neck while his boyfriend gently stroked a hand up and down along his back. He sighed, content.

"I'd ask if you're glad to see me, but I think I got my answer."

Naruto lifted his head and discovered Sasuke smirking. He looked absolutely ravished with bite marks on his neck and shoulder, his hair going every which way and his lips swollen from their kissing.

He licked his lips, voice coming out rough, "Yeah, I could definitely never get tired of fucking you, Sasuke."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That's good to hear as I have to admit, I also enjoy it."

"Looks like." Naruto grinned at him smugly.

"Maybe I should leave more often? It looks like you cleaned up the place, and now you're even making dinner. What's the occasion?"

"You mean other than that you're finally back home after the fucking _longest_week ever?"

Sasuke ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, tugging at a particular piece a couple of times. "It did seem long."

"Anyway, I know we didn't do much for what should've been our month anniversary."

"Did we even do anything at all?" Sasuke asked.

"Er. No, I guess not, but I wasn't sure what we'd count from. When we met at Starbuck's? Our date? The first blowjob? Handjob? Intercourse?"

Sasuke flattened his bangs. "We don't have to celebrate every month. Six months maybe. A year, definitely. That's, of course, if I can stand being around you that long."

"I'm still considering that cage," said Naruto. "Or maybe that's the surprise waitin' for you in the bedroom."

"Sounds kinky. Speaking of, look who's here." Ollie came running to the side of the couch, his ears up and tail swishing excitedly. He looked like he very much wanted to join in on the action, but didn't know where to jump up to.

"Pet him already," Naruto said, nudging Sasuke's jaw with his nose.

Sasuke gave Ollie's head a pat and scratched behind his ear. "You two are so much alike," he commented fondly. "All I have to do is scratch you behind the ear and you're satisfied."

"Yeah, and I'm sure I'll have another itch for you to scratch in about an hour. After you eat my spaghetti and meatballs. It's homemade-ish."

Sasuke chuckled. "Sounds good. Maybe I'll take a shower first." He pushed at Naruto's chest, but Naruto didn't budge.

He stared at Sasuke, his heart hammering against his ribcage like it was about to burst out of his chest at any moment. Even though his hand started to shake, he pressed it to Sasuke's cheek. He took in a deep breath and said it, annoyed at the way his voice trembled.

"I love you, Sasuke."

Sasuke's mouth fell open in surprise. It made Naruto smile. He leaned in, and kissed Sasuke so hard and for so long that he started to go light-headed. When he shifted, parting from him, Sasuke remained visibly stunned, so Naruto kissed him a few more times until he felt arms go around him, and he was yanked into a hug, Sasuke's palms pressing firmly into his upper back.

Naruto closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling growing in his chest - warm and threatening to consume him, drag him down until he became delirious with happiness. Sasuke's breath came in hot, quick puffs against his neck; he brushed his lips reverently over the skin, kissing him there a few times.

"I thought you were going to hold out on me forever," he told Naruto.

"Me, too." Naruto got up off of him and sat on the edge of the middle cushion.

Sasuke sat up, too, still looking dazed. "Why do I have a feeling that I'm going to wake up on the plane and realize it was a dream?"

Naruto gave a hard slap to the inside of Sasuke's thigh. "That felt real, right?"

"Idiot."

"Love you." He grinned widely.

Smiling, Sasuke shook his head, but then he reached for Naruto and, taking hold of his chin, kissed him thoroughly, almost possessively. Naruto - with a submissive whimper - responded to each of his kisses as if he needed them in order to _breathe_. He got caught up in the slow manner in which their mouths moved together and how Sasuke teased his lips apart with his tongue. When the feeling in his chest continued to swell, he had to fight back another series of whimpers. Sasuke kept kissing him with such a constant, _gentle_ patience that it made his heart flutter in a way that _had_to be medically concerning.

"Shower with me, and then we eat?" Sasuke suggested, fingers touching Naruto's lips.

"Does that mean we don't have to have a talk about how stupid I am?"

"We don't have to have a talk about it for me to realize how stupid you are."

Naruto chuckled. "You say the sweetest things."

"You can tell me all about your miserable week without me as we get cleaned up." Sasuke got off of the couch and grabbed for Naruto's hand, pulling him up.

"Sasuke, you got a little something right... there." He pointed at Sasuke's stomach.

Sasuke smacked his hand away. "It's not polite to point."

Once in the shower, Naruto used a rag to wash off what he'd left on Sasuke's stomach only for it to start all over again as they kissed and touched, making up for the last week of not being able to, and when he had Sasuke up against the shower wall with his legs going around his waist, it became pretty fucking difficult to understand why he'd waited so long to say exactly what he'd felt from the very first night they'd spent together.


	4. Lazy Sunday

**a/n:** This is a sort of follow up sidefic that happens only a couple of days after the Phone Sex sidefic (which can be read on y-gallery). But you'll get the idea of what happened in that fic while reading this. Ollie is used to their _affectionate_ side, no worries.

* * *

By the time Kiba dropped Naruto off at his apartment so he could take a shower and get re-dressed, it was already early evening. After tidying up somewhat, Naruto grabbed his keys and wallet and drove over to Sasuke's. He used his key to get in, having texted Sasuke about an hour ago to let him know he was home. He slipped off his shoes, neatly placing them alongside a pair of Sasuke's sneakers. The lights in the living room and kitchen were off, but it looked as though the light was on in the master bedroom. Quietly, he went and stood in the doorway. He found Sasuke asleep on the bed, with a book resting open and upside down on his stomach. Ollie was at the foot of the bed, and his ears perked up as Naruto stepped inside the room. He took a seat on the side of the bed and picked up the book to see what Sasuke'd been reading. After setting it to the side, Naruto studied Sasuke's sleeping face, half-amused and half wanting to kiss him awake already. He brushed aside a strand of dark hair and tucked it behind Sasuke's ear, the tips of his fingers gently grazing Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open and when he saw Naruto, he smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," said Naruto and leaned in to place a chaste kiss to his lips. "Miss me?"

"I did."

"Are you happy I'm home?" He let the back of his fingers brush across Sasuke's cheek again. Sasuke grabbed for his hand and brought it to his lips.

"Very." He still sounded sleepy but also relieved. "I'm very happy you're home." He moved a hand to the back of Naruto's neck and pulled him down until Naruto had his head resting against Sasuke's chest. Sasuke combed his fingers through Naruto's hair and kissed the top of his head.

"Did you do much today?" Naruto asked, lulled by the sound of his boyfriend's heartbeat against his ear.

"Obviously not. I've been completely lazy. I didn't used to be like this, you know."

Naruto chuckled. "It's me, huh? I must be rubbing off on you."

"Must be." Sasuke traced the shell of his ear and went back to running his fingers through Naruto's hair. "So, did you have a nice trip?"

"I did. It was fun. I wish you would've gone though."

"Hm. I didn't mind, and it's nice for you to be able to spend time with Kiba. I'm sure he's been feeling neglected lately."

"I told you that on my way to the bathroom, I ran into him in the hallway, right?"

"You did. I'm sure he gave you hell for it yesterday."

"And today," grumbled Naruto. "He's never gonna let me live that one down."

"Well?" asked Sasuke.

"Well what?" Naruto looked up; the hand in his hair stopped.

"Were you able to get the stains out?" Sasuke smirked at him.

"You think you're pretty funny, huh? That's the last time I have phone sex with _you_."

"Somehow I doubt that," replied Sasuke.

Naruto sighed and settled back down against Sasuke's chest. He placed his palm flat to Sasuke's stomach and then, slowly, started shirking up his shirt so that he could press it against skin. It felt warm to the touch.

"What are you doing?"

"Touching you," Naruto answered, smiling while gazing at his hand against Sasuke's pale skin.

"I see. Is this because I said I'd touch _you _if you'd been here on Friday night?"

"Maybe, but I also just like touching you." He made his hand into a claw and lightly scratched his nails across Sasuke's toned stomach. He lay it flat again, watching intently as he rubbed over the firm muscles. "I think you're getting skinnier."

Sasuke snorted. "You say that like it's a bad thing. It's been getting warmer, so I'm less likely to sit around and eat the junk food you leave around my place."

Naruto hummed uncertainly. "But I like having a little something to grab onto."

"Move your hand a little ways south, and I'll give you something to hold onto."

"Ha, well I doubt that part of you has gotten skinnier. It hasn't felt like it anyway."

"God, I hope not." Sasuke took hold of Naruto's chin, lifting it until their eyes met. He searched Naruto's face, his gaze a little curious but his overall expression very warm, very openly affectionate toward him. Naruto grinned placidly.

"What are you thinkin'?" he asked.

"If I tell you, I'll scare you away," answered Sasuke. "So don't ask."

Naruto's brow furrowed, reflecting his confusion. "I wouldn't run away. Are you gonna ask me to move in again?"

"If I thought you'd say yes, maybe I would. But I know you like to have your own space." He pressed his lips to Naruto's temple.

"I like being here with you best though," said Naruto, because it was true.

"I know. I'm not offended." Gently, he pushed Naruto's head down, onto his chest, and reached for his hand, letting them rest together on top of his stomach.

"This feels nice," Naruto murmured, eyelids gradually falling shut.

"It's because you're so sentimental," whispered Sasuke, squeezing his hand.

"Is that it? Maybe so. I do enjoy just laying with you like this. I like lazy Sundays."

"Mm. Maybe I should work at home tomorrow, and we can sleep in together."

"That'd be nice," mumbled Naruto.

"I talked to Itachi tonight."

"Did you?" He rubbed his nose against Sasuke's shirt. It smelled like laundry detergent. He sniffed him again.

"Are you sniffing me?"

"No," he said, though his big smile probably gave it away. "So, what did your big brother have to say?"

"That the verdict comes out next Wednesday. He wants me to fly to Seattle before then."

Shocked, Naruto got up on his elbow. "Wait. Really?"

"Why do you look so surprised? We knew it was coming."

"Yeah, but I never heard you say when for sure after they postponed the second hearing. Are you worried? Is he worried?"

Sasuke's head tilted to the side a little. "No. He's confident. He's Itachi. He's always confident. But what I want to know is... do you want to come with me?"

"To Seattle?"

"Yes. Get on a plane with me, and when it lands, we will be in Washington State. Are you ready to meet my brother?"

Naruto let his gaze fall to somewhere around the collar of Sasuke's shirt. He scratched the side of his cheek. "Um, I dunno. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. But, is this a good time for me to go, what with the trial and media and everything?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It'll be fine. I'm not asking you to come to the trial, but..."

"But?"

"If I have to take some vacation to go out there, and if I'm going to be gone for a little over a week - "

"Ah, I see." Naruto nodded and prodded him in the chest. "You want my company. Why is that so hard for you to say?"

Sasuke sighed. "Because of what I said on the phone Friday." When Naruto pulled a face at that, Sasuke poked him in the forehead. "Not _that_, but what I said beforehand, about not being codependent. That's not... how I see myself, _but_..."

"No, I get it." Naruto leaned over and kissed at the line of his jaw and moved down to place a few more kisses along the side of his neck. "I feel the same way. I'll get some time off, it's cool. And I'll be there if it gets stressful and even when it's not."

"Seeing my brother is always stressful," murmured Sasuke as he shut his eyes and let Naruto kiss him as he pleased.

"Maybe I can entertain him somehow if you need to get away at some point."

Suddenly, Sasuke grabbed a hold of his hair and pulled him up until they were face to face. "Just how is it you intend to entertain my brother? I hope not the same way you entertain me."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're sick."

"My brother has a very twisted sense of humor just to let you know."

"I'm sure we'll get along fine. If he's anything like you."

Sasuke clucked his tongue. "We definitely have our differences. I'm not worried though. I know you can handle yourself in all situations."

"Of course." Naruto stole a kiss from him since they were close enough for him to do so. "I'm here to make your life easier."

"You could make my life easier by being easier," said Sasuke as he caught Naruto's bottom lip between his teeth and bit into it.

A low-pitched groan rumbled out of Naruto's throat. Sasuke released his lip and brushed one of his fingers over it.

"See, so much easier already." He gave Naruto one of his rare, genuine smiles. "I'll get your ticket for you once you've OK'd it with your Dad."

"You don't have to do that. I can get my own ticket," said Naruto, licking at the spot on his lip where Sasuke bit him.

"I don't mind. I'm inviting you out there. I want you to go. Let me pay for your plane ticket. If you're that worried about it, we can consider it in exchange for future services rendered."

"Tch." Naruto covered Sasuke's face with his hand. "So I'm a whore now?"

"Maybe not now, but what about the other night?" Sasuke's laughter followed after.

"Hey, that's not funny," said Naruto as he crawled off of Sasuke and sat upright.

Sasuke looked up at him with a grin and placed his hand on Naruto's knee, squeezing it. Naruto thought he looked rather adorable right then, but like hell he'd tell Sasuke that, especially after accused of being a _whore_.

"I wish I could've seen you," Sasuke said, his voice dropping low. His thumb brushed back and forth over Naruto's jeans. "You sounded so hot."

"I always sound hot." He leaned back on his hands.

"That's true." Sasuke's hand wandered further up his thigh. "But I've never seen you do _that _in front of me before."

"_That_?" He tried to play innocent. "I don't know what you're referring to."

"Uh huh." Sasuke held his hand out expectantly. Naruto looked at it quizzically. "Give me your hand."

Naruto leaned forward, an eyebrow raised as he gave Sasuke his hand. He took hold of two of Naruto's fingers, brought them to his lips, and, very slowly, started to suck on them while pulling them in and out of his mouth. When Sasuke finished, Naruto's fingers were wet, not to mention a few of his thought processes had dulled considerably and his heart was beating fast enough for him to hear it in his ears.

"I hope those were the fingers you used," Sasuke told him, still grasping onto his wrist.

Naruto swallowed hard. Sasuke tugged him down on top of him, and they kissed for a long while; every time their tongues touched, little bolts of electricity shot all the way down to his toes, making them curl in his socks. Sasuke's hand had found its way under Naruto's shirt and pressed into the small of his back. Naruto had his fingers in Sasuke's hair, cradling the back of his head as he shifted to place a leg between Sasuke's, grinding it against him.

Sasuke moaned into their kiss, and Naruto pulled back to look at him. "And _I'm _the whore?"

"I never said _I _wasn't."

Naruto chuckled and placed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Okay then. Shut up and let me hear how much of a whore you can be."

"That's fair since I got to hear _you _the other night."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Just how long are you gonna go on about that? Big deal. So I used my own fingers to fuck myself while thinkin' about you and then I came all over the clean sheets of my best friend's sister's guest bed. It's something _anyone _would do for another human being they cared a lot about."

Sasuke shook his head. "You are _so _full of it."

"Nah." Naruto pressed his thigh harder against Sasuke's crotch. "It's your turn to be full of it."

While glancing up at him, Sasuke had his teeth pressed into his bottom lip.

"Yeah, that's the stuff. You look good like that, Sasuke." He grinned sadistically.

"I'm going to have to do something about how cocky you're getting in the bedroom. Maybe I need to top more often. Maybe next time I'll tie you to the bed and do as I please. How about that, Naruto?"

Naruto, still rubbing his thigh against Sasuke's growing hard on, took hold of his face and kissed him deeply until he felt Sasuke's nails start to dig firmly into his lower back. He let out a quiet gasp at the pain and then groaned when he felt Sasuke's lips latch onto the side of his throat and suck.

"Mm. I think I'm lookin' forward to next time then."


	5. Sasuke's Migraine

_Written for belledragon who'd mentioned wanting to have a scene from Sasuke's POV_

* * *

Sasuke was lying across the side of the bed in a pair of jeans, having just tossed his shirt onto the floor. He cast his eyes to the doorway when Naruto came back from the kitchen and stood there watching him - head cocked to the side - with his hand on the frame. He looked as attractive as ever, and working so much outside lately had definitely left him more tan these past few days. It brought out the blue in his eyes. His unkempt, choppy blond hair framed his face. More and more, Naruto was becoming the spitting image of his father. Except for the shape of the eyes and roundness of his face. After seeing so many pictures of Kushina, Sasuke thought those were features that solely belonged to her.

"Hey," Naruto said, his tone of voice light and casual, but with an underlying concern or question. "Tea's going to be ready soon. Anything else I can do for you?"

Sasuke offered him a reassuring smile. "No. I just took something for the migraine. Thank you for making tea."

Naruto approached him uncertainly, which was sort of adorable, as he seemed to assume every squeak of the floor or every breath he took was enough noise to agitate Sasuke's condition.

His smile broadened. "I'm not dying, Naruto. It's just a really bad headache."

Naruto sat next to him on the edge of the bed, his hands on either side of him. He kept gripping at the duvet nervously, restlessly.

"Kiss me?" Sasuke suggested, teasing him. "Maybe that'll make me feel better."

Naruto's eyebrow shot up. "Really?"

"We won't know until you try." He reached for Naruto's wrist and squeezed. "It's not the first time I've had one." He tried to pull Naruto closer and shorten the distance between them. Physical contact might've been nice, but Naruto apparently thought he could break him if he attempted it.

"Aren't migraines caused by stress?" Naruto asked, his brows drawn together. "What if I'm the cause of your stress?"

"Shut up," Sasuke told him. "And come here." He gave Naruto's wrist another tug, and this time Naruto complied by leaning over him and pressing their mouths together. Sasuke had only just gotten a taste of him before Naruto moved away.

"What if I draw you a bath?" Naruto asked, right as they heard the tea kettle go off. "Ah, be right back."

Sasuke watched him go, his eyes traveling down to watch Naruto's butt as he walked out of the bedroom. After only a few minutes, Naruto returned, one of the blue mugs in hand. He came up beside Sasuke, holding it out for him.

"Thank you." He sat up slowly, but even that small movement made his head feel like it was going to explode, and he was starting to lose the vision in his left eye.

"You alright?" Naruto must've noticed him wincing.

"I'm fine," he said, brushing him off and taking the mug. "I'm just losing my vision a little bit."

"Um... that doesn't sound good. Should I be calling the hospital? Don't they have shots that'll clear it up right away? Do you want me to drive you there?"

"Shh for a second." He held a hand to the side of his head, the mug poised in his lap, the handle carrying a comforting warmth against his palm. "It'll pass eventually." He looked up into Naruto's eyes, wanting to smile so that Naruto would stop worrying, but he couldn't really muster the strength to do that much.

Naruto's expression reflected that he thought this was _bad _but he probably also didn't want to ignore Sasuke's command of keeping quiet for a few minutes so that maybe through sheer will power alone, Sasuke could keep his brain from pounding against the sides of his skull. With some effort, he brought the mug to his lips and sipped. "It's good."

Naruto nodded and sunk his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Nervously, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, making the zipper of his hooded sweatshirt swing.

Again, Sasuke took a sip. "I think a bath sounds good. If you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," said Naruto, keeping his voice hushed. "I'll do it now."

Sasuke nodded and after Naruto had gone into the bathroom, he got up and took a few steps toward the nightstand so he could set the mug there. Then he went back to lying across the duvet. He let his eyes fall shut, but even behind his lids, he could see tiny speckles of light in the shape of diamonds, zigzagging back and forth like he was watching a game of _Pong_. He heard the sudden rush of water coming from the bath tap. It wasn't taxingly loud, it was almost…relaxing. As if he wasn't so far from a waterfall in some peaceful, tropical location. It made him wonder when he and Naruto were ever going to go on a vacation together. Going to visit his brother didn't count as a romantic getaway, and when he thought of the two of them somewhere on the beach, somewhere _warm_, what kept coming to mind was that photo of Naruto with his ex-girlfriend he'd had taped to his bedroom wall.

Maybe he should suggest somewhere different? Somewhere that Naruto wouldn't constantly compare to the time he'd spent there with ex-lovers. Not that Sasuke was particularly jealous of the people who'd known Naruto in the past, but he wanted them to experience something _new _together. It'd be nice if he could get Naruto to agree to fly to Europe or maybe even Australia's Gold Coast.

When he felt the gentle brush of fingers on his side, Sasuke opened his eyes.

"It's ready when you are," Naruto said to him. His look was almost piteous. It unnerved Sasuke a bit.

"Naruto," he said, rising up to sit. "I'm really okay."

"I know, but I want to make it better, and I don't know how."

This made Sasuke smile. He grabbed for Naruto's hand, pulling it from the pocket where it had been hiding, and clasped their fingers together.

"What do you think about Europe?" he asked.

Naruto's mouth turned down into a contemplative frown, though his eyes remained bright and thoughtful. "It rains a lot there, I guess? Why do you ask?"

He squeezed his boyfriend's hand and made an attempt at standing. Naruto pulled him up simultaneously and placed his other hand on Sasuke's arm, keeping him steady. Not that it was so bad Sasuke couldn't walk. He did, however, feel a little unbalanced. He felt the pressure of Naruto's hand as it moved to his lower back.

They went into the bathroom. A slight fog of steam rose from the surface of the bath. Naruto had set a towel on the toilet.

"I can get you some clothes to change into if you want."

"Sure," said Sasuke. "You realize I'm finding this incredibly endearing, right?" He put his hand on the sink counter and leaned against it.

Naruto looked at him and broke out into one of those goofy grins, which happened whenever Sasuke gave him an unexpected compliment. He may or may not do it on purpose just to see him smile like that. The way his cheeks colored in pleasure. To add to the effect, Naruto bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck. A very common habit he displayed when embarrassed. Sasuke loved it and was always afraid that if he ever pointed it out, Naruto, out of self-consciousness, might have stopped.

"Um, I'm gonna go get you some pajama pants, is that alright?"

"I'll wait here then."

"Why?" asked Naruto. "Are y'gonna need help getting off your jeans?"

Sasuke smirked at his obliviousness. "Even if I didn't, I still wouldn't mind you undressing me."

"Heh. Figures that even like this, you'd still be a pervert. I'll be right back."

Sasuke nodded, but when Naruto glided past him, he caught his boyfriend by the wrist again and pulled him close. He let his hand settle at Naruto's waist, turning him so that they faced one another. Sasuke's other hand went to Naruto's cheek. Naruto's eyes scanned back and forth across his face, but when Sasuke leaned in for a kiss, his lids slipped shut right as their mouths came together. Sasuke closed his, too, already feeling that warmth pooling in his stomach, giving him butterflies. It happened every time they kissed. Naruto's callused palm touched his side, just above his waist and then, gradually, it traveled up until he pressed a hand flat to Sasuke's chest. His fingers were just a hair below Sasuke's nipple, and as their tongues began to slide more persistently together, the fingers shifted upward and brushed over it.

A quiet moan slipped from his mouth only to be swallowed up by Naruto's insistent kiss - enough to express his need but still retaining a gentleness as if conscious of not wanting to hurt him.

When they broke apart, Sasuke had his head lowered somewhat, his bangs slanting across one of his eyes. He looked up when Naruto pushed it to the side and tucked it behind an ear.

Naruto smirked. "I don't suppose that miraculously cured your migraine?"

Sasuke covered Naruto's hand on his chest with his own. "Not quite, but now I may have another little problem to deal with." When Naruto chuckled at the joke, Sasuke's smirk bloomed into a full-fledged smile.

"Maybe if you're feelin' better later," said Naruto. He leaned in and kissed the back of Sasuke's hand with a warm press of lips to his skin. The gesture almost made Sasuke's brain fog up with something akin to giddiness.

"Sap," he said. "I thought you were going to bring me something to wear. You're always so easily distracted."

Naruto grinned mischievously. "Mm. Well at least we know the only thing short about me is my attention span."

Sasuke laughed aloud and gave his boyfriend a playful shove in the chest. "You'll get in with me?"

Naruto nodded instantly as if he didn't have to give it even a second of consideration. "If you think I won't bother you."

"You never bother me, idiot."

"Okay. Don't get in without me." He turned on his heel and went into the bedroom.

Sasuke gave a deep sigh, reclining his head until he was staring at the ceiling, which was nothing more than a fuzzy blob of white at this point. Then Naruto was back again, setting the clothes on the counter. He stood in front of Sasuke and, wordlessly, unfastened the button of his jeans and pulled down the zipper, all while they both kept up a staring game of sorts. Naruto blinked first, his gaze dropping to watch his fingers. He slipped them under the waistband of Sasuke's boxer-briefs, the back of his fingers touching skin and the tips almost grazing the darker strands of pubic hair.

He looked up, meeting Sasuke's eyes again, keeping his fingers in place. "Hey," he said, voice low and husky, and very intimately familiar.

Sasuke pressed his teeth into his bottom lip as the fingers ventured south, just enough to really tease him, maybe almost enough to distract him from the throbbing pain in his head. Naruto used his other hand to tug his jeans further down his hips while the fingers near his groin loosely circled him. He let out a quiet gasp, his lids falling halfway shut. He gazed at Naruto, knowing he wanted a kiss, using his eyes to tell him as much.

Naruto graced him with a cocky, lazy grin and inched closer. Their lips only brushed. Naruto teased him, touching their mouths together only to back away when Sasuke tried to increase contact. Then his jeans were being pulled down further, to around his knees, underwear going with. Using a firmer grip, Naruto stroked him, and the instant Sasuke's eyes shut in pleasure, Naruto finally kissed him. He couldn't help but groan - low, guttural, and impatient - enticed further by that scent that only belonged to Naruto. The smell of his cologne, soap, sweat and shampoo as it began to mingle with Sasuke's own natural scent and musk.

When Naruto eventually drew away from him, Sasuke tried to follow and opened his eyes when he heard Naruto's deep, rumbling laugh that obviously came at his own expense.

Sasuke sent him a feeble glare. "Tease," he said, very aware of the half hard state of his cock now. Choosing to ignore Naruto and his smugness, he kicked his jeans off the rest of the way and walked toward the tub; although, he put some effort into the way he bent over to test the water, aware of the view Naruto was getting.

Naruto, being the dork that he was, whistled. Sasuke got in the far end, opposite the tap and sighed with relief as the water enveloped him, making him feel weightless. He rested his head on the edge, turning it a little so that he could see Naruto, who had begun to strip out of his clothes.

"What?" he asked. "No show?"

"Not for free," Naruto returned. "You've got to pay to see that shit."

Sasuke moved his arm out of he water and lay it across the edge of the tub. "Sorry, I must have left all my singles in my other wallet."

Naruto already had his hoodie off and was tugging his green short-sleeved shirt over his head. Sasuke admired the definition in his chest, stomach, and arms, not ashamed to let his eyes rake over his boyfriend's body rapaciously. Naruto was too busy working on his belt to even notice the flash of hunger he would've seen in Sasuke's gaze had he bothered to look. He undid his jeans and stepped out of them and then quickly made work of the garish orange boxers that Sasuke had often tried to get rid of. Yet, somehow, they always seemed to reappear. He was quite sure Naruto did that on purpose.

"I'm wearing your favorite boxers today," Naruto said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Mind reader," Sasuke murmured. "Get in already." His eyes were drawn to a particularly favorite body part of Naruto's once the underwear came off. He licked his lips as Naruto swaggered confidently in his direction, obviously aware of Sasuke's train of thoughts.

Naruto braced his arms on the edge, and had they not been making eye contact, Sasuke would've had an eyeful of Naruto's dick. But, alas, that often cocky look Naruto sported at times had already captured his attention.

"Want me to wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, voice rough and sultry. He used his thumb and made a swipe at the edge of Sasuke's mouth.

"Very cute," he said.

"Hm. I thought so." In a surprisingly fluid and graceful move, Naruto got in the tub, on the opposite side. Sasuke's legs were spread apart so Naruto had his crossed at the ankles. Every once in a while, toes brushed up against the inside of his thigh. "So, really. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Sasuke answered, tipping his head to the side. "This is... relaxing."

"Mm. Good. Is it work-related?"

"Probably. I used to get them more when I was younger. Now I get them maybe two or three times a year."

"Weird." Naruto spread his arms out on either side of him, along the edge of the bath. "Is that sort of thing genetic?"

"I think so. I'm fairly sure I remember my mom having them. I think Itachi used to get them, as well."

"That sucks," Naruto surmised.

Sasuke snorted. "Yes, that does _suck_."

"So why did you ask me about Europe earlier? Is there some sort of gig coming up that you might have to go?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. I thought maybe in future we could take a vacation together."

"Oooh. I see." Naruto scrunched his mouth to the side and raked a hand through his hair - another interesting gesture Sasuke loved. "I thought we were goin' to Seattle?"

"We are, but I don't expect that to be much of a vacation." He frowned at the prospect. In fact, he had been hesitant in asking Naruto to go simply because he anticipated a few up's and down's to occur during the time they spent there, but it wasn't a worry he particularly wanted to dump on Naruto.

"No. I s'pose not given the circumstances."

Sasuke grabbed for one of the rags from the wire basket behind him. "Hand me that?" he asked Naruto, pointing to the new block of Ivory soap.

Naruto reached for it and handed it to Sasuke. "Want me to wash you?" He squinted suggestively at Sasuke.

"I think I can handle this much. I'm not an invalid just yet." He attempted to take the bar of soap from Naruto only for Naruto to move it out of the way at the last second. "And how old are you?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and gave it to him. "You're no fun."

Sasuke smirked. "I'm the funnest person you know."

Naruto's head cocked to the side. "What about Kiba?"

"I'm _way_better than Kiba," he replied as he washed the upper half of his body with the soapy rag. Tiny, sudsy bubbles traveled across the top of the water. He watched Naruto poke at a couple.

"Ah, you both have a special place in my heart."

"I suppose I can live with that." He threw the rag at Naruto, who caught it, but it still smacked against his chest.

"Are you sure that," Naruto dabbed his tongue across his lips, "That it's not your brother that's making you worry and stress so much lately? I mean..." He bit his lip as he looked at Sasuke, and the cautious way he spoke caused Sasuke's eyebrow to quirk.

"Spit it out," he told Naruto.

"I get the feeling that you're not as confident about the outcome of the verdict as you've been saying over the past month."

Sasuke felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew his legs up closer to his chest, forcing Naruto to have to do the same. The water splashed against the sides.

"I could be wrong. If I'm wrong just tell me," said Naruto. "I just am sorta worried, y'know. And, like I said, I mean, you're... kind of losing weight, too. I just want you to know you can talk to me if you're worried."

Sasuke's mouth thinned and he was more or less watching the water, noticing the way that Naruto's toes had flexed in anticipation, or maybe even apprehension.

He sighed. "I don't want to burden you, Naruto. I honestly don't know what's going to happen, but I've considered what would happen if Itachi was found guilty."

"I'm sure he won't," Naruto attempted to comfort him.

Sasuke put up a hand. "No one knows. Itachi doesn't know. He seems confident, but that he was so urgent for us to get there before next Wednesday, I don't know."

Naruto gave a small nod. "I suppose it's difficult to think about."

Sasuke had to keep himself from sneering. He didn't want to take his fears out on Naruto and suddenly start being an asshole. His heart of heart's told him that Naruto just wanted to help, wanted to be there for him. Sasuke wanted to allow him to be there, but some old habits were hard to break, and he was used to taking everything on by himself. To ask for help from someone was an idea he would have laughed scornfully at years ago, but what he had with Naruto was something very special to him. Very meaningful but it was still fragile. It was a balancing act for him. How much he could let Naruto in while still maintaining enough room to breathe - so that he didn't regress into the person he used to be before he met Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called to him, regaining his attention.

Sasuke could only give him a faint smile. "It would be difficult," he said simply. "He's the only family I have left. What am I supposed to do if I lose that?"

Naruto's expression softened. Sasuke was surprised that he didn't try to reach for him, to comfort him, but Naruto must've realized it wasn't necessary. Instead, he only nodded.

"Should that happen," Naruto said, "I'll be there for you every step of the way."

"Thanks. Naruto?"

"Hm?"

Sasuke opened his legs and beckoned him. "Come here."

Naruto's eyebrow arched in question, but he didn't need to be told again. He got up on his knees and crawled over to him. Sasuke positioned him between his legs and wrapped an arm around his waist. He let his chin rest on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto eased back against him, and Sasuke heard him let out a quiet sigh.

They were silent for a while. He wondered if Naruto had closed his eyes. His breathing had become slow and shallow. Maybe he'd even fallen asleep. Sasuke pushed Naruto's hair out of the way so that he could place a kiss to his neck.

"Your hair's getting long," he whispered against Naruto's skin, making the tiny, pale hairs stand on end.

"Should I cut it?" Naruto asked after a small delay.

Sasuke leaned back, studying it from various angles, running his fingers through it. The pieces that framed the sides of his face had grown longer, just like Minato's.

"I think it's okay so long as you can't get it into a ponytail." Although, he did try, taking the longer pieces at the back and holding them together, but it wasn't anything he could've gotten a rubber band around.

"I don't think I could pull off a ponytail. I'll go to the barber tomorrow, maybe."

Sasuke kissed the other side of his neck. Naruto moved his arm and rested it on Sasuke's leg. "Naruto?"

"Yeah?" he asked, voice a little slurred and dreamy.

Lips not far from Naruto's ear, he said in a hushed voice, "I love you. I don't mean to scare you, but I really do love you."

Naruto turned in his arms, showing him a lop-sided smile. Sasuke covered that absurdly cheesy face with his hand so he wouldn't have to see it, but Naruto pulled it away. He leaned in, kissed Sasuke on the chin, each corner of his mouth, and then directly on the lips. He turned further, making the water splash around them, and took Sasuke's face in his hands. They kissed. Sasuke started to sink lower, underneath the water as Naruto got on top of him, pushing him down and driving all the worries away from his mind just as those familiar fingers started to wind through and tangle in his hair.


	6. Jockstrap I

Written for Sasuke's birthday 7/23/12

:3

* * *

The TV was on as he lay on Sasuke's couch, waiting for him to get home. He heard the jingle of keys outside, and then the knob turned. Sasuke took two steps inside the entranceway and dropped his laptop bag for work on the floor.

Naruto, striking a very casual pose, had his arms resting on the end of he couch. Nonchalantly, he glanced over his shoulder at him and smiled. The look on his boyfriend's face was priceless. "Hey, Sasuke." Like a cat, he stretched, moving onto all fours - back bowing sensuously and ass up in the air.

"What," Sasuke stared, took a step forward, and licked his lips, "are you wearing?"

"Oh this?" Naruto got onto his knees on the middle cushion and turned more toward him, offering quite the view. "It's just a little something I had lying around." He reached for the remote and switched the television off, throwing the controller onto the floor. He noticed Sasuke still had his shoes on. "Shoes, Sasuke. You don't wanna dirty your nice carpet, do you?"

"Fuck shoes, fuck the carpet," he said and walked hurriedly toward him. Sasuke put one knee on the couch. Naruto turned to him, and they kissed as Sasuke's hands roamed from the back of his thighs to his ass to his stomach. He pushed Naruto down until he was on his hands and knees again. Sasuke snapped one of the straps that ran under his left ass cheek. With his knee, he nudged Naruto's legs further apart until he was kneeling between them.

Naruto gave a quiet chuckle. "Welcome home," he said, arching and bowing his back as Sasuke ran his hands all over him, the muscles flexing under his palms.

"Some welcome," Sasuke murmured, bending over him to kiss just above the waistband of the jockstrap he wore and then gradually tracking his way up, kissing a path along the dip of his spine. "What's the occasion? What if I'd come home with a friend?"

"I suppose you woulda had some explainin' to do." He lowered his head and took in a sharp breath as Sasuke slowly dragged his tongue all the way back down and started kneading his ass. "Aah…," he whimpered when Sasuke pinched him. "I just thought…" He paused as Sasuke, again, squeezed his ass and gave one of the cheeks a light slap that made it jiggle.

"Hmm…?" Sasuke asked, clearly distracted as he used Naruto's ass as a means to entertain himself.

"I thought maybe we could have a relaxing night before flying to Seattle on Saturday…"

Sasuke's palm ghosted up and down his thigh, sliding more toward the inside, where on its way up, it brushed against the back of his balls, making him jump a bit. He heard Sasuke's laughter. "You look so fucking hot wearing that. I can't get over it. I know I've said before that you have a nice ass, but _fuck_, I could touch you like this all night, Naruto."

"If that's all you wanna do, that's fine, too." He looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, smirking.

Sasuke smirked right back. "Are there options?"

"Of course. Anything goes."

Sasuke gave his ass a sharp slap as they looked at one another. "Don't you know how dangerous that could be for you?"

"I dunno about that," he answered, feeling the sting spread across his ass cheek. There was a nice red handprint there now. "I think I'm in pretty good hands, wouldn't ya say, Sasuke? But just in case," he grinned lazily, "My safe words are Bert and Ernie."

Sasuke laughed huskily and sat back on his thighs. He had his head lowered, hair swaying in front of his face as he shifted, obviously smiling. "I feel like a kid on Christmas Day about to unwrap his presents."

"It's nothin' you haven't seen before," he replied modestly, though he was ultimately flattered by the way Sasuke kept looking at him and how he kept touching him like he was something truly sexy to behold after a long day at work.

"Lies," Sasuke whispered, took hold of his hip and kissed along the curve of his ass. "You've never greeted me this way, and after three months of being together, I've never seen you in a jockstrap. Forgive a man for wanting to kneel down and worship it just a bit."

"Heh." He felt the nip of Sasuke's teeth next. "I can't say I'd let any man but you even get the chance."

"You _better _not." Sasuke started to undo his tie and proceeded to unbutton his shirt, tossing both onto the floor so that he could return to rubbing, squeezing and - every so often - slapping his ass just to get it to wiggle for him.

"You're sick," Naruto teased him.

"You bet I am," said Sasuke and put a hand on his lower back. "Lean forward for me and get on your elbows."

Naruto arched his eyebrow at the command but did as he was told and then rested his forehead against the couch arm. "Careful. You might turn me on if you start orderin' me around in that voice."

"That's the point," Sasuke said, just moments before Naruto felt himself being spread and a tongue slid across his hole.

Naruto let out a quiet hiss and lifted his ass higher in the air. It had taken some time to get used to rim jobs, having never had one (though he might've given a few on the rare occasion with his more experimental girlfriends) until he'd met Sasuke. Now it had become a guilty pleasure just because it was something erotic and new to him still. One of Sasuke's hands squeezed him again, and he felt his tongue push in further. Sasuke placed his other hand on Naruto's left thigh and pulled him backward, causing the tongue inside him to penetrate deeper until he let out an embarrassingly wanton moan that he wasn't used to hearing himself make. The couch cushions shifted, and Sasuke sat back, simply admiring Naruto's body with his hands.

"Finished so soon?" Naruto asked somewhat breathlessly while keeping in position.

"Hardly. I was just considering all the things I wanted to do to you before I even allow you to come," said Sasuke, and Naruto could hear the slither of his belt as he removed it. He heard it thud to the floor.

"Not gonna whip me with your belt?" He meant it as a joke, but when he gazed at Sasuke, he seemed to be considering it. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke's eyes snapped to him, and he cast Naruto a wicked smile. "I thought you said anything goes? We've done kinky before, Naruto. I'm sure you can handle a few slaps of a leather belt. You do have your safe words, after all."

Naruto couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. "You really wanna hit me with a belt?"

"If you begged for it, I certainly would. You never seem to mind it when I spank your ass."

"Fine," Naruto said haughtily, raising his chin in the air. "I could take it. I mean, you've probably done worse, right? So, if you can take it, then surely I can, too."

Sasuke's grin became wider still, but it didn't give Naruto a very good feeling. "Hn. I know you can take it." He bent over and retrieved the belt.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as if challenging him. He made his voice especially low and gravely. "Would it please Master if I were to take his whippings?"

Sasuke regarded him coolly, his smile fading. "It would please Master very much to whip his slutty slave."

Okay, that should not have excited him as much as it did. He licked his lips, unconsciously lifting his ass higher as he leaned back and pushed against Sasuke's crotch. His boyfriend's eyebrows drew up just a little and in a flat voice he said, "All fours. On top of the coffee table."

Naruto blinked at him, but then he got up. Sasuke did the same, the belt in his hand. He nudged Naruto on the small of his back, and, keeping his eyes on Sasuke, Naruto crawled on top of the wooden coffee table, fairly sure it could take his weight. Sasuke stood behind him a while, scrutinizing, and then he walked in a circle around him.

"I feel like I'm a contestant at a dog show," he said, shifting on his knees. "You're not gonna try and grab my junk like those judges do, are you?"

Once behind him again, Sasuke didn't seem to have heard him. Although, when he raised his eyes and met Naruto's, he suddenly didn't feel so much like cracking jokes. Sasuke meant business.

"You've… done this before?" he asked, but by now, Sasuke pretty typically didn't answer a whole lot of questions regarding his sexual past, which was both frustrating and probably a very smart thing to do because Naruto still had issues controlling his irrational jealousy.

"How many do you think you can take?" Sasuke asked him, running his hand over the left butt cheek.

"Uh, I dunno. How many do you _think _I can take?"

"A lot probably, but it's all for fun, right?" He tilted his head and smirked. "Two?"

Naruto fixed his grip on the edge of the table since his palms were getting all sweaty. "That makes me seem like a pussy if I can only take two. Gimme five, and let's see what happens."

"You sure?" asked Sasuke, and he let the leather belt brush against his skin.

Naruto nodded and lowered his head, preparing himself. Just how bad could it be? He was pretty sure his Dad had taken a belt to his ass at least a few times when he was a kid.

"Want me to count them for you, _Master Sasuke_?" he asked, grinning at the wall - at least until he felt the first crack of the belt that came at a diagonal across his ass. He barely had time to think before the second hit him just below where the first had landed. The third came diagonally the opposite way, and a yelp slipped out even though it hadn't hurt _too _much. He felt Sasuke press against him. He touched Naruto, laying his hand atop the marks, making it sting all the more as he applied a slight pressure. Then only a few seconds passed before the belt lashed right across the backs of his thighs, and he felt a rush of air hit the back of his balls.

"Shit," he hissed, lifting one knee and then the other since the table wasn't the most comfortable thing to be kneeling on.

"I thought you were going to keep count," said Sasuke.

"You didn't tell me if I was supposed to or not!" Naruto turned to look at him, scowling. "It's not like I've done this stuff before! Just gimme the last one." He had barely turned his head back around when Sasuke whacked him at the very top of his ass and with much greater force than the rest of them. His right elbow buckled about halfway. Sasuke walked around until he was standing in front of him. He crouched low so that they were face to face.

"How was that?" asked Sasuke. "Not so bad?"

"Asshole. That last one hurt!"

Sasuke sighed and put his hand on top of Naruto's head, affectionately ruffling his hair. "If you're good, I'll let you try it out on me later."

"Oh ho," Naruto grinned at him. "Is that a challenge? Pretty sure I haven't ever had an issue _dominating _you in the bedroom before."

"Says the man on all fours on top of my coffee table with belt marks on his ass."

"Shut up," said Naruto. He started to get up off the table when Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder.

"Did I say you could get up?" Sasuke asked, but he was smiling, so Naruto just shoved his arm away. Sasuke laughed and stretched his right arm into the air, flexing it at the elbow.

"I'm sorry. Did whipping your boyfriend tire out your arm?" He went to sit on the edge of the couch, but when he did, he immediately jumped up again having forgotten that his ass was a little sore. He glared as he got to his feet again, Sasuke laughing at him.

"You're so adorable," Sasuke told him. "I almost feel guilty for hitting you with my belt."

"Almost being the operative word," Naruto replied and went up to him so that he could punch him in the shoulder. Sasuke caught his wrist and pulled him close enough that their naked chests touched.

"So, really. What did you have in mind for tonight, Naruto?"

"Honestly? Anything you wanna do. I figured we'd order in and then have sex all night. How does that work for you?"

Sasuke leaned in, aligning his mouth with Naruto's, but not letting them touch. "I'd say that sounds like a deal. You plan on wearing just that the rest of the night, don't you?"

"You like this little get-up, do ya? Kinky bastard." Naruto tilted his head, and as he put a hand on Sasuke's hip, brought the lower halves of their bodies flush together and kissed him. Sasuke's grip on his wrist tightened while his other hand went around to grab hold of Naruto's ass and gave it an almost painful squeeze that made him moan into their kiss.

After a while, Sasuke broke the kiss and looked at him, dark eyes glazed and filled with a recognizable lust. "Or we could fuck now and eat later."

"Okay, that works, too." He gave a chuckle as Sasuke dragged him back to the bedroom by the wrist. They passed the spare bedroom, where he'd locked up poor Ollie for the time being. Although, he was probably doing the cat a favor by not subjecting him to the obscene events he could've walked into.

* * *

**a/n**: There is a second part to the jockstrap story, which can now be found on y-gallery.

Grayscaled has colored her lineart of the coffee boys. I am in love with this picture:

**grayscaled dot deviantart dot com slash # slash d55wn7c**


	7. Bad Dream

a/n: In case you haven't read my profile or don't follow me on y-gal. I will, at some point in the future, be doing a multi-chaptered sequel to It Started Over Coffee, where they go to Seattle to visit Itachi before his final hearing. I was saying on y-gal that I consider this sidefic to be a sort of prologue to that sequel because the tone will be different. It will have more drama and angst, and they're really going to have to work hard at some things. But, don't let that scare you as obviously I love these boys more than any unborn children I may or may not have.

* * *

It was near two in the morning when Naruto crept out of bed and, quietly, closed the door before he headed out to the living room. He'd had the worst dream and, unable to shake it, decided to sit on the couch for a while and watch TV. Ollie was up. He hopped onto the couch as soon as Naruto sat down. Ollie let Naruto pet and scratch him for a while as he partially lay in his lap, pawing at his boxers. The cat's tiny claws dug into his skin every so often.

"Easy," he whispered to the cat, but Ollie kept on for as long a Naruto proceeded to shower him with attention.

Flipping through the channels, there wasn't much on except some infomercials, a really awful 80s horror film about a giant troll (which he watched for 15 minutes just because of its sheer cheesiness), and a bunch of other random crap that wasn't interesting. He thought about playing video games but didn't want the noise to wake Sasuke. Eventually, Ollie got bored with him when he was no longer being rubbed or scratched, so he jumped off the couch and wandered toward the hallway. Had Naruto brought his cell phone out with him, he would've texted Kiba. He didn't care whether he woke up _that _bastard. Ino, on the other hand, if they were together tonight, would probably have his balls if he woke her.

He sighed and decided to lay down. Maybe after a while, he'd feel sleepy again and go back to bed.

Finally, he settled on an episode of International House Hunters, where a couple was searching for an apartment in Tokyo. He couldn't figure out why the hell anyone would voluntarily move there when all the places they looked at were so tiny. The living room of the first apartment they went to was about the size of Sasuke's master bath.

"Thinking about moving to Japan?"

With a jolt, Naruto glanced up to find Sasuke standing right beside the couch, staring at the TV.

"Did I wake you?" he asked

"No."

Sasuke's hair was sticking up everywhere, and he was scowling. He could be pretty grumpy when woken up.

"What are you doing out here?" Sasuke asked him.

"You were snoring," Naruto answered with a smile.

"Hn. Very funny." Sasuke put a hand on top of his face, covering it, making Naruto laugh. "Scoot."

Naruto sat up and moved over to the middle cushion. Sasuke sat next to him: hunched over and squinting at the TV like he couldn't see it. He reminded Naruto of an old man.

"Did you turn completely gay and not let me know or are you just desperate for something to watch?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto snorted. "You don't have to be gay to watch HGTV, Sasuke. Just how narrow-minded are you?"

Sasuke didn't reply; he picked up the remote control, turned up the volume, and leaned against the couch. Together, they watched the couple visit the second and third apartments. They ended up deciding on the second apartment, which had less space than the others but was in some hip area of Tokyo he'd never heard of.

"I would've picked the third one. It had a second bedroom. Where the hell are they gonna put their guests?"

"The floor," Sasuke suggested. "Do you really want to move somewhere like that and worry more about the occasional guest than the location?"

"I dunno. I think I would have some concerns about our guests' comfort, but, yeah. I see your point. We'd just get an air mattress or somethin', right?"

Sasuke turned to him, giving him a look with a single eyebrow arched in surprise.

"What?" Naruto asked, not understanding the look as fluent as he'd become in Sasuke's various nonverbal responses.

"You said 'we'."

"And?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Nevermind. So, you can't sleep or what?"

"Bad dream," he answered.

Sasuke frowned. "Want to tell me about it?"

Naruto gazed at him a moment and then shook his head, returning his eyes to the TV. "Was nothin'. I don't even remember."

"Hm."

"It's nothing," he said again.

He felt Sasuke lean away from him, their arms no longer touching. Ah, well. It's what he deserved for saying he didn't remember it when he just didn't want to talk about it. Sasuke took the remote from off his lap and flipped through the channels on the guide. He ended up settling on the same horror movie Naruto watched a bit of earlier. After 10 minutes, Ollie returned and tried to get onto Sasuke's lap, but he was shooed away by Sasuke's foot.

"He just wants your attention," said Naruto.

"There's none left to give once I've bestowed it all on you."

Naruto turned to him. "Are you bein' a smartass?"

"Always," Sasuke replied, eyes set on the TV. But when Naruto made no retort, Sasuke looked at him. "What's with you?"

"Nothing."

"So you keep saying. Should I leave you alone to brood?"

The guilt hit then. He shook his head. "No, sorry. You don't have to go unless you wanna go back to bed."

"I won't be able to sleep knowing you're out here."

"No?" Naruto smiled a little.

"That's why I woke up. I felt the disturbance in the force. I don't sleep as well when you're not in the bed. I think my body can't achieve homeostasis without you around."

He laughed. "That's about the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I'm glad." Sasuke leaned over, paused to look at him, and then kissed him on the cheek. "Lay down and put your head on my lap."

"Hm?"

"Come on. You owe me for disrupting my precious rest."

Naruto lay down, using Sasuke's leg as a pillow. They watched TV. Sasuke started to run his fingers through his hair, massaging Naruto's scalp. Naruto let his arm hang over the side of the couch so that he could grab Sasuke's ankle. Every once in a while, he sighed. It felt so good, and he was starting to forget about the dream and how much it had worked him up. Even his eyelids were starting to get heavy. Fifteen minutes passed, and Sasuke was still rubbing his head. _Ah, heaven! _When Sasuke was so attentive like this, it made him feel sort of overwhelmed. Sasuke, who could read him like a damn book, who never asked for much in return.

"You should sing to me," he murmured. "Sing me a lullaby. But no Kelly Clarkson."

"Sure." Sasuke cleared his throat. "Love of mine, someday you will die. But I'll be close behind. I'll follow you into the dark."

"Boo. Too depressing."

"I kissed a girl, and I liked it - "

"_No_!" Naruto laughed and squeezed Sasuke's ankle.

"You didn't even let me get to the part about the flavor of her chapstick."

"Sing me somethin' old, that'll make me feel nostalgic."

"Do you want me to hum one of the themes for the Megaman II villains?"

"Sasu_ke_!"

"I'm not a singer, Naruto. I just sign them and promote them. You don't want me to sing at this time of night." He put his hand on Naruto's forehead, gazing down at him fondly.

Naruto batted his eyelashes. "Please?"

"What do I get out of it?"

"My thanks and a peace of mind that comes with knowin' you cheered me up?"

Sasuke smirked. "I was thinking more like a blowjob."

"Is that giving or receiving?"

"Either. If it'll make you feel better for me to blow you right now, I'll be happy to provide that sort of service. I'd hope it'd be more pleasurable than listening to me sing. Especially when you banned Kelly from the mix."

"I wonder if I should be jealous that you and _Kelly _are on a first name basis."

"Hn. I like when you're jealous." Sasuke covered his eyes. Naruto put his hand on top of Sasuke's.

"Is that a confession?" Naruto asked, keeping his voice low.

"It's an admission at best," replied Sasuke. "One that should be quite obvious."

"You think I don't get jealous very often?"

"I'm not sure. No, maybe not so much. There's also no reason for you to be jealous in the first place. I have no interest in anyone else, Naruto."

"I know," he said softly, squeezing Sasuke's hand. "But if I really thought about it, about the guys at your work... Now that I've met a couple of them, I know they're attractive, smart, and they seem pretty fond of you."

"That's because they _respect _me. The few you've met, work under me. I'm their boss."

"I don't like that," he grumbled. "No one should work under you but _me_."

Sasuke lifted his hand from off of his eyes. Naruto was frowning; Sasuke was smiling at him, apparently amused.

"Is this you being possessive?" Sasuke asked in a husky voice. "Do you want me that much?"

Naruto wet his lips. "I've never wanted anyone more." He took Sasuke's hand and brought it close to his face. He nipped at Sasuke's middle finger, and when Sasuke's eyes seemed to glaze over, he bit down a little harder, amused at the slight wince it earned. After freeing Sasuke's hand, they simply watched one another. Sasuke's lips were parted, his dark eyes narrowed and full of anticipation, along with something else...

Naruto tilted his head, still resting it on Sasuke's leg. "You are so fucking attractive, Sasuke. Do you have any idea?"

"You're just saying that," Sasuke said smoothly. "You don't even like men."

"I don't need to like men to understand how sexy you are. If you think that when we're havin' sex that I don't consider... how good you look... you'd be a tad off base."

"Oh?" Sasuke traced a line down Naruto's arm, from his shoulder to the inside of his elbow. "This is news to me."

"I figured you wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"That can't be true. I take everything you say _very _seriously."

Naruto pressed his teeth into his lip and then took in a deep breath. "Stop using that voice."

"What voice?" Sasuke deliberately made his voice go lower, almost a whisper as he leaned over him, bringing their faces closer. "I thought you wanted to hear my voice? Didn't you ask me to sing earlier?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

Sasuke placed his hands on either side of Naruto's face, tilting his head as he brought his mouth down onto Naruto's mouth. The kiss was slow, teasing, and playful, the both of them smiling into it. Sasuke gave him one more chaste kiss to his lips when they finished.

"A Spiderman kiss," said Naruto, still grinning.

"Idiot." Sasuke rested his hand on his head again and ran his fingers through Naruto's hair until he fell to tugging on one of the sideburns. He teased it between his fingers. "I really love your hair. It suits you well."

"Because I'm the sunshine of your life?"

Sasuke snorted. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's just a gift."

"You should consider returning it."

Naruto reached his arm up and tried to cover Sasuke's mouth, but Sasuke was quicker and grabbed his hand, covering it and forcing it into a fist.

"Too slow," he told Naruto.

"I know. I'd make a lousy ninja."

"That you would. You'd be the worst ninja ever to live."

Naruto scoffed. "I doubt I'd be the _worst_. Better than you anyway."

"I don't know. I used to take martial arts as a kid. I could probably give you a run for your money, although your body has become increasingly more flexible over the months."

"Ha. Pervert."

Sasuke smirked at him and pushed his bangs to the side. "You seem in a better mood."

"I am... thanks."

"Are you ready to go back to bed?"

"Yeah, I think so." Naruto sat upright.

Sasuke turned off the TV and stood, offering his hand. Naruto grabbed it, and before getting to his feet, he simply held on, wondering at their clasped fingers and how much he didn't want to let go. He swung their hands - once, twice - while Sasuke waited patiently, as if used to this. That made him very happy.

"Satisfied?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto nodded and got up, following as he was led into the bedroom. Ollie was lying on the covers, but Sasuke picked him up and set him on the foot of the bed, out of their way. Lazily, his tail swished, his eyes flashing in the dark. Once they got under the sheet, Naruto moved around a few times, readjusting his position until he heard Sasuke's heavy sigh.

"Come here," he said and, reaching for Naruto's wrist, pulled him over so that they were spooning. "Now be still."

Draping his arm over Sasuke's middle, Naruto sniffed his hair. "Okay."

He bowed his head, skimming his lips along the curve of Sasuke's shoulder blade. He let his thumb trace the dip of his boyfriend's belly-button.

"That's not being still," Sasuke grumbled, turning over so that they were face to face.

Naruto smiled apologetically and put his hand on Sasuke's hip. "I guess I'm not really tired. Should I go back to the couch?"

Sasuke stared and, instead of answering, snuggled closer. He pushed his face into the crook of Naruto's neck.

"Tell me," he whispered against Naruto's skin, warming it. "I don't like when you keep things from me."

"About the dream?" Naruto pressed a kiss to Sasuke's shoulder. "Does it matter? It's just a dream."

"Because I'm curious to know what sort of dream bothers you so much that you don't want to talk about it with me."

"Ah." Naruto started chewing his lip.

Sasuke began to move and shift, like he was going to roll away, but Naruto kept him in place. He had his hand flat on the center of Sasuke's back.

"You really want to know?" he asked.

"I asked, didn't I?" Sasuke moved a hand to Naruto's side, near his waist.

"This is gonna end up bein' pretty anticlimactic."

"Good. Then maybe it'll put me to sleep."

Naruto sighed. "It was a dream about you and me. Except... it wasn't you and me at all. It was like we were different people, but I could tell we were really good friends. You were still a _smartass_, but you were somehow a lot more distant with me, I guess."

"I was distant? That upset you?"

"Not just that. It wasn't like you were mean-distant, just that... I dunno how to describe it. Like, hmm... there was something really big you weren't telling me."

"Were we together in this dream?"

Naruto thought for a second. "No. I really don't think so, but I dunno why. We were at this nice restaurant, but I swear the menu was in a whole other language. There was a lot of tension between us, and if we talked, it was only to snap at each other about stupid crap. You told me I was a moron because I couldn't read the menu. But I'm sure that... we were fighting about something completely different, though neither of us wanted to bring it up."

Sasuke's fingers started to skim his lower back, following the waistband of his boxers. "Then what happened?"

"I remember that... you were short with the waitress, and I told you not to take it out on her. I'm pretty sure my exact words were something like: 'Why don't you take it out on me like you always do.'"

"Harsh," murmured Sasuke. He leaned in again, his head just under Naruto's chin.

Naruto put his hand on top of Sasuke's head and ruffled his hair. "We were leaving, but it was rainin' outside. I don't know if that matters or not - that it was raining. But, then we went to my apartment. Except it wasn't the apartment I have now, and I had a roommate. Not that the roommate was there when we walked in, but I... just knew someone else lived there. A girl, I think."

"Ino?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"It better not have been Hinata."

He wanted to laugh but couldn't, so he simply continued combing his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "No."

"Okay. So we're fighting. I'm hiding something. It's raining. We go to your place, where you live with some _unknown _woman."

Naruto gave a small smile at Sasuke's tone. "I think that sums it up so far."

"What happens next?" He felt Sasuke's lips at his throat. Naruto moved his hand lower, fingers curling at the base of Sasuke's neck.

"You were on the couch, but I walked right by you and went into my bedroom. There was a suitcase on the bed, and I started to pack. Eventually, you followed me in, but you were helping me, and then all of a sudden... you told me something I didn't wanna hear."

"Like what?"

"I can't... really remember, but it was about where I was going. Like, you _really _didn't want me to go. Or, well, it wasn't that you didn't want me to go, but maybe that you were afraid I wasn't coming back? So you started yelling at me, and I kept getting pissed off. It's just weird to me how much it was you, but it wasn't you at all."

"Did I still look like me?"

"Yeah. You were... yeah. You. But, I think maybe you had on glasses? I dunno why."

"Maybe it's a subconscious fetish of yours and I should buy a pair."

This time, Naruto was able to chuckle. He stroked the back of Sasuke's neck and brushed his thumb across the short, stiff hair at the base of his skull. "It was bad enough that we were bein' so goddam awful to each other, but you said something so fucking _hurtful _to me that I punched you in the face. And then we were fighting for real, like rolling around on the ground until I had you under me, and, like a bastard, you spit blood in my face. I remember shouting: 'I'm tired of this shit!' And then as I got up to walk away, you tackled me, kissed me, and left. Just, walked right out the fuckin' door as I was lying on the floor, bleeding from my mouth. Then I woke up."

"Sounds intense," said Sasuke, and lifted his head from under Naruto's chin. There was a soft expression on his face. "So what part upset you the most?"

"At the end, as you walked out on me, I thought for sure I'd never see you again. You'd given up on me. You just... didn't wanna be with me anymore."

Sasuke's hand touched his cheek. "Are you... crying? Naruto, hey." He moved back, surprised, and then cupped both sides of Naruto's face to look at him, obviously worried.

"Sorry," he said. "This is why I didn't wanna talk about it."

Sasuke caught one of the tears with his thumb and wiped it away. He pulled Naruto into a hug. Naruto went willingly, burying his face into Sasuke's neck. A few more tears slipped out as Sasuke rubbed his back.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sasuke said into his ear. "There's no reason I'd walk out on you or abandon you. There's nothing you could do or say that would make me want to hurt you like that. So, if you've been worrying lately, please don't."

He took in a deep breath, trying to sort out what he felt. "Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Say somethin' you mean."

Sasuke's hand wandered up and down his back for a while, and then he said, "For knowing you, I am a better person. More than you may even realize. But without you, I think I'd be worse."

Startled, Naruto looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke brushed his knuckles across Naruto's right cheek. "What do you think it means?"

"I think I'm half-afraid to know."

Faintly, Sasuke smiled. "Then maybe I shouldn't say."

Naruto grabbed his hand and clasped their fingers. "No, I wanna hear."

"Well. I'm sure you've come to your own conclusions about the man I was before I met you. If I had to go back to being that person after knowing what I could have, what I have with you. I... honestly… I don't want to think about it."

"I don't want you to think about it," Naruto said quickly, frowning at him.

"Okay," Sasuke replied simply. "Then I won't."

"Maybe I'm a little worried about some stuff that may come up in the future."

"Stuff? What sort of stuff, Naruto? You mean like with my brother?"

Naruto nodded, but he wasn't entirely certain either. "Maybe."

"Well. I'll just have to trust that... if I wander into any dark places, you'll grab for me and pull me out."

Something about that only made him feel worse, but he plastered on a smile. "I will." He rolled over, onto his other side. "I think I can fall asleep now," he said. "Thank you... for listening."

"No problem." Sasuke put his arm around him. "I hope it helped to talk about."

"Yeah..."

He lay still a while, purposely evening out his breathing so Sasuke would think he was asleep. It hadn't really occurred to him then that what had been unsettling him most for a some time was a vague fear that, maybe, if things didn't go well with Itachi's trial - would everything change for them? What if Sasuke wanted to move back to Seattle? What if he thought a relationship was just too much for him and he decided to end it?

Naruto didn't think, even if the _worst _happened, that Sasuke would break up with him. Sasuke had told him to pull him out of the darkness, but what if at some point, the right thing for Sasuke seemed to be... just to let him go? If Sasuke needed space, or if Sasuke wanted to be nearer to his brother.

Would Naruto fight for it even if Sasuke didn't seem to want him anymore?

Even though it fucking _hurt_ to think about, that things could ever get so bad between them, the voice in his head kept forcefully declaring that, _yes_, he would fight for Sasuke. He'd fight for their relationship. He loved Sasuke. He couldn't imagine loving anyone more than him, so maybe what Sasuke said earlier, about being worse after... it was the same for him.

"It's the same," he whispered and, from behind, Sasuke's arm squeezed around him more tightly.


	8. Fear

a/n: This scene follows right after Bad Dream and was something narusasuftw on y-gal suggested, so I wrote it for her.

* * *

It hadn't been easy for him to fall asleep, but what little sleep he did get had been filled with restless dreams. Not more than two hours must have passed since they'd returned to bed. Their arms and legs were tangled together, with Sasuke's nose brushing the back of Naruto's neck, as if he'd tried to burrow into him while sleeping. Despite having woken earlier this morning, Naruto was typically a heavy sleeper and judging by the even way his chest rose and fell, he was still fast asleep. Carefully, Sasuke withdrew his arms from around his boyfriend and rolled onto his back. He stared at the window, where shafts of blue-grey light appeared in the gaps of the blinds. It seemed like it was going to be a gloomy day, and for some reason, Naruto's dream had left the seed for something that now felt like a heavy weight inside his chest, and it only grew the longer he stayed in bed, listening to Naruto's quiet breathing and occasional soft snores.

He got out of bed. The room was somewhat cold, so he went to his dresser and got out a pair of old sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt. Sasuke walked over to the desk, where beside his laptop, was a stack of demo CDs he needed to listen to before they flew to Seattle tomorrow. He gave one more glance at Naruto, just to make sure he was still asleep. The sheet was pulled up to his waist, revealing the wide, bronzed plane of his back and shoulders; he had one of the pillows shoved against his stomach, curling up against it as if cuddling it. Naruto's bright blond hair lay scattered across the pillow, already sticking up in the back in that wild way Sasuke found extremely charming.

Almost holding his breath, Sasuke gathered his laptop, the stack of CDs, and a pair of _Bose _headphones he used specifically for work. He opened and then closed the door behind him, wanting Naruto to sleep in as much as possible. It was so early, not even Ollie was up. He was probably in the other bedroom, sleeping on top of the comforter or hiding away in the closet as he often liked to do. After setting everything onto the coffee table, Sasuke went into the kitchen to boil some water for a mug of tea. When it was ready, he poured just a dash of milk in and stirred while tiredly watching the rising swirls of steam.

It was Friday, so it was the last day he had to cram some work in before they'd be flying to Seattle. It was rare he took time off. Work was important to him. Not particularly because he was a workaholic, but like with other distractions he tended to gravitate toward, work had the ability to ground him. He liked his job, he'd been doing it a long time, and he was good at it. Having a sense of responsibility - rather than pile on the stress - had a rather calming effect on him. Maybe another reason why he hadn't been able to sleep well after they'd gone to bed was that Naruto's odd dream made him reflect on his own anxieties about the trip, about his brother, and about sharing this part of himself with Naruto. He'd asked Naruto to go, almost on a whim. Sometimes he considered - beyond wanting his partner to be there - that this would also be a significant test for their relationship. Nevertheless, it was something he didn't want to dwell on or dig too deeply into. It wasn't that he thought this relationship they'd built together - one that almost seemed too perfect in comparison to past relationships - was doomed to fail. He didn't believe that, and he didn't _want_ it to fail. In fact, the thought of returning from Seattle and not having Naruto in his life... not having Naruto love him anymore... not being able to love Naruto... it _terrified_ him. So, Sasuke pushed it back, somewhere even _he _wouldn't be able to analyze or pick apart. If he did that now, he wouldn't be able to hold it together in order to deal with Itachi and with the possibility of losing one of the most important people he had left: his only real family.

He knew, deep in his heart, that no matter how much he cared for Naruto, how much he _loved_ him, the loss of his brother would have an unpredictable effect on him. Or, perhaps, it _wasn't_ entirely unpredictable. He feared the idea so much that he refused to bring it up with Naruto; he refused to even think about it further _now_.

Grabbing his mug, he padded from the kitchen to the living room and settled onto the couch. He powered on his laptop and plugged in the headphones. He sorted through the demos according to genre and opened up a word document so he could write notes as he listened to the music. The demos typically came with no more than three tracks. Some bands had a more professionally recorded sound, but sometimes he also got raw recordings that sounded as if it was done in the artist's bathroom. The professional quality of the recordings didn't have much of an influence on the demos he ended up suggesting be promoted by his company. Sasuke had long ago learned to have an ear for talent, no matter how raw. He went through each demo and track methodically, typed out a few lines describing his immediate impressions of the songs - both negative and positive. A lot of the demos came with a bio of the band, its members, and their performance history. It always helped if the band had a following to begin with and was somewhat active on social media already - although if his company decided to work with them, they would be assigned someone to do marketing for them. Sasuke didn't necessarily take charge of a band just because he pushed them through, but he was rather good at assigning the perfect staff member depending on the dynamic of the band, their background, or style of music. He was known for choosing bands that would go on to do fairly well, and he never begrudged them when they went on to sign with bigger labels. All business encounters made for good contacts, and his reputation had only grown in the industry over the years.

The first three demos he listened to all had some promise. Demo 1 reminded him of the band Animal Collective, which he'd scouted after the release of their first top-selling LP a few years ago while hanging around in Baltimore. It was a sort of psychedelic, experimental rock with songs full of strange textures. The second was a lot of simple acoustic guitar, but it was ultimately fantastic, with a lingering melancholy that reminded him of Elliot Smith. Sasuke even thought it might be an artist he would take personal responsibility for if he could rearrange some of his upcoming events. The third demo - and he was on the second track now while also typing out e-mails and updating his professional blog - was something like a less-hipster version of Grizzly Bear. The lyrics were earnest, and the accompaniment wasn't overbearing - just a touch of piano, drums, and a mandolin. The fourth demo reflected that sort of Brit-pop-grunge vibe he got when listening to Evans the Death, which had unfortunately allied up with Fortuna Pop a year ago even though he'd had a chance to interact with the vocalist at least a couple of times while in England.

It wasn't until the sixth demo that the sound took a more dramatic plunge, and he put aside his e-mails just to stare at the open word document. He lay back against the sofa, with one foot propped on the corded edge of the cushion and - _listened_. Okay, yeah, this was good. A catchy, not quite dubstep backtrack and sultry Gothic vocals like Maya Postepski after she left the more poppy Austra for her new band Trust; yet it carried all the sensual intensity of The Weeknd. Sasuke closed his eyes and reclined his head. Once he was through with all three songs, he played them again and put them on a loop. Often times with music, he slipped so easily into "work-mode" and just listed through the technical aspects of the music in his mind, considering their marketability as much as their talent, and then there were times he heard _music_. The kind that brought him back to his days in Seattle when he used to stay out all night and hit the club scene, network with the upcoming bands before he even knew what it meant to network. He wasn't so much a groupie as an avid collector of talent - beautiful sounds and equally beautiful people that he wanted to mould and then promote to the world.

He hadn't known _anything _about the industry when he'd turned 18 and had become more interested in it than he had any of his physics or chemistry courses at the university. When his parents died, it was in the back of his mind that they would've wanted him to continue his education, but two years into the degree, he just... couldn't do it. It had been Itachi who'd urged him to do what he wanted. Sasuke could've easily worked at Itachi's brokerage, but it wasn't what he wanted at all even if he could've been set for life. He could've been a millionaire before the age of 25, but none of it fit. Maybe all the experiences that had come thereafter hadn't been entirely innocent, but at least they'd been character-building to say the least.

Sasuke lost track of how many times the songs had repeated and got lost thinking about his brother. He might've even called him had Seattle not been two hours behind. It was barely 6.30 a.m. here. The light continued to bleed blue-grey into the apartment, spreading across the carpet and reaching the edge of the couch, covering half of his foot while the other half maintained an ashen shade amidst the remaining shadows. If Itachi hadn't pushed so hard for him to just do whatever made him happy and then pushed him again to move to the East Coast when he'd been reluctant about moving so far away from his brother, where would he be now? Or maybe had he never left Seattle, he would've been there for his brother when all that legal bullshit went down and Itachi insisted on being a martyr for yet another sleazy CEO that cared more about his own bottom line than the company's.

The hand that had been lying limply on his thigh moved up to, somewhat unconsciously, lay flat against his chest. There was a clenching feeling around his heart, and just for a moment, he lost himself to the despair and hopelessness that came with imagining his brother locked away for 25 to 30 years for a crime that he hadn't even committed. At one time, his brother had been his whole world. Itachi had been perfect in every respect even if Sasuke never would've admitted it as he grew older.

The music continued to play, and alone in the living room, as the sun struggled to rise from behind the wall of darkening clouds, he broke down and could think of no way to stop it. He sunk lower on the couch and threw his arm over his eyes, engaging only with the flashes of sensory-induced images that tied the music and his current state of mind while also winding up everything he'd been feeling over the past couple of weeks together. Coupled with Naruto's own admitted foreboding about the near future, he just didn't know how to handle it right now. He only knew that by tomorrow, he better get his shit together and not show even a glimpse of his anxieties to Naruto.

If he lost Naruto because of what might soon unfold, he felt like he'd lose everything he'd been trying to work toward these past few months. Naruto made him want to be a better version of himself because it was Naruto who believed him to be that person already. He _needed_ Naruto. So much so, that thinking about it along with the very real threat of losing his brother was starting to make him wonder if he was going crazy. The sense of responsibility he'd said was something he needed to ground himself might also be his undoing. How could he deal with what he knew he was going to go through in Seattle while shielding Naruto from it? How would Naruto react if he could see just how broken down Sasuke could get because he wasn't _near_ as strong and together as Naruto thought him to be? Sasuke _knew_ it was his fault for wanting to hide his flaws and insecurities from him, but if Naruto could see who he really was, there's no way he would want to stay with Sasuke, and... to lose that bond and go back to the way he was? It _horrified _him on such a level that a panic began to swell inside of him, making his heart race.

But there was also a part of him that believed so long as Itachi's verdict came out favorable, even if he lost Naruto in the process... the world would still go on. He survived somehow before ever meeting Naruto. Even if he hadn't ever before felt the peace he now did just by being with Naruto. Or, rather, he felt more like who he really should be when Naruto let him stay at his side. Because Naruto was all these things Sasuke wasn't and yet Naruto had still chosen him, wanted to be with him,_loved_him, and was considered worthy of Naruto's love. These were things that made him feel like nothing he'd ever experienced in life. It made him feel awe. It made him feel humbled.

The tracks repeated for what was probably the sixth or seventh time. Although his eyes were shut tight, there was a sense that the light in the room was retreating. The sky grew more overcast and a splattering of soft rain began to hit against the window. He wanted to go back in the bedroom and crawl into bed with Naruto, wake him, and have his boyfriend wrap his arms around him and reassure him everything was going to be alright. Yet, he couldn't fight the feeling that it should be _his_job to reassure Naruto, to make sure this wouldn't be what broke them, or made Naruto realize that being with Sasuke wasn't worth what he had to give up to date another man.

It crushed him to think of Naruto letting him go, of Naruto ever hating him for something he might do, or if he were ever to finally realize just how empty Sasuke was on the inside no matter how much he tried to pretend otherwise. He'd fooled Naruto so far, but if Naruto saw the real him should things go wrong or become too stressful with Itachi - he couldn't expect anyone to put up with the bullshit he knew he could pull because he'd done the exact same thing after his parents died. He could see it so clearly in his head even if he didn't _want _it to happen. He'd end up pushing Naruto away, treat him like shit and make him think he deserved it just so Sasuke could protect himself from being the one to get hurt first.

The tears got caught up in his eyelashes, never making it to the curve of his cheek. He never heard the bedroom door open, nor did he sense the approaching presence, so when he felt the warm press of a hand gently set down on his forehead, his eyes went wide.

The blue eyes staring down at him instantly darkened with concern. The initial smile of greeting changed to a troubled frown.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto's fingers lightly brushed his cheek and made to remove the headphones.

Sasuke stopped him before he could do it, downplaying it all like he was merely tired. By the look on Naruto's face, he wasn't quite sure if he bought it.

How long could he go on lying, he didn't know, but if that's what it took to preserve what they had, Sasuke could continue to do just that. Because if Naruto really got to see how mangled he was on the inside, he'd be disgusted.

That transparent concern and worry Naruto had just showed in thinking something was wrong? Sasuke did not want himself to be seen as weak, as someone who needs any kind of help. Even if at the end of the day, that was the truest reflection of himself there ever could be. He was a fraud, but, selfishly, he wanted Naruto to keep loving him because, without him, Sasuke didn't think he'd be the type of person whose accomplishments were worth remembering.

As Naruto gazed at him - head slightly tilted in confusion - he suddenly became very fearful that so much rested on this person and his opinion of him. He'd never relied upon anyone to that extent. Not even his brother.

What a _fucking_ scary thought.


	9. Post Seattle: Halloween Special

The Halloween chapter has been moved to the second collection of Coffee sidefics so that the timelines for each is cohesive. This message will be deleted at a later date.


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